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Alexander Georgiou adopted his father's nickname Periaphimous (Perifimou), meaning 'the famous one', once he became an artist. He emigrated to London in 1935 and settled in Brixton. After serving in the second world war he developed a skin disease, which led to him working as a gallery assistant at Tate Britain. He began to draw at work, when he was fifty-nine. 'At the Tate you have to sit in a room and watch people passing by', he recalled, 'obviously it gets monotonous to see there are no fights or people touching the pictures. So I started to draw. 'He would begin by randomly doodling lines and shapes onto paper from which a distinct subject matter would emerge. Perifimou explained: 'I am controlled by something. I don't know what. When I begin work with my lines I am taken over'. He would often give his pieces poetic titles.

Back of a postcard sent from Perifimou to Monika Kinley Date unknown Courtesy of Tate Archive view larger image		Front of postcard sent from Perifimou to Monika Kinley Date unknown Courtesy of Tate Archive view larger image		Perifimou with Monika Kinley Date unknown Courtesy of Tate Archive Photo credit: Terry O'Farrell view larger image
Perifimou (Alexander Georgiou) undated Courtesy of Tate Archive Photo credit: Monika Kinley view larger image   Forbidden territory 1986 Acrylic on paper Musgrave Kinley Outsider Collection view larger image		Letter from Perifimou to Monika Kinley 9 January 1996 Courtesy of Tate Archive view larger image		Perifimou (Alexander Georgiou) Date unknown Courtesy of Tate Archive Photo credit: Terry O'Farrell view larger image

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