Pavlos Kaligas studied chemistry at Oxford University, England and later in 1907 he travelled to Munich and studied painting at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts. There he was taught by G. von Hackl.

In around 1912 he returned to Athens and mainly painted landscapes and portraiture.

Kaligas was an impressionist. His work emits a spiritual quality and is always well composed. His paintings have an elegant feeling, characterised by simple, clear outlines and bright colors used to accentuate the sense of light and shade.

He participated in a number of prestigious international group exhibitions such as: The 1934 and 1936 Venice Biennale and the 1938 Pan-Hellenic Exhibition.

His work is found in many public and private collections, notably: The National Gallery, Athens, The Athens Municipal Gallery, The Rhodes Municipal Gallery and The National Bank of Greece.