ANDREAS KRYSTALLIS (GREEK 1911-1951) Refugees oil on panel 53 x 75 cm (20 5/6 x 29 1/2 in.) framed dimensions: 73 x 95 cm (28 3/4 x 37 3/8 in.) signed lower right LOT NOTES Krystallis was born in Asia Minor and fled at the end of the Asia Minor Catastrophe; this painting depicts some of the thousands of Greek refugees fleeing cities like Constantinople and Smyrna for a new life. The Asia Minor Catastrophe, also known as the "Greek Genocide" or "Asia Minor Disaster," refers to the forced expulsion and mass killings of Greeks who lived in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) after the defeat of the Greco-Turkish War in 1922. This event resulted in the displacement and loss of life of approximately 1.3 million Orthodox Greeks, who sought refuge in Greece and other countries.