Powerfully gestural abstract and figurative artist using a brilliant palette, born in London to parents of Greek origin. Christoforou’s mother died when he was a baby, his father in 1932, two years after he and John had moved to Athens. Before returning to England in 1938 Christoforou studied at L’École des Beaux-Arts in Athens, where Byzantine art impressed him. After serving in the Royal Air Force, 1941–6, Christoforou studied modern art by visiting the National and Tate Galleries, in 1949 having a first solo show at 20 Brook Street Gallery. During a stay in Paris, 1951–2, where he continued to visit major galleries, Christoforou destroyed all his prentice works. Returned to London, 1953, Christoforou showed with Gimpel Fils and at Victor Musgrave’s gallery and made the acquaintance of writers including Maurice Collis, Colin MacInnes and Denis Silk.