Born in Thessaloniki, Greece Nikos Kessanlis began his artistic training at the Athens Academy of Fine Arts. He went on to attend the School of Art Conservation in Rome, Italy on a scholarship awarded by the Italian Institute in Athens. Over the course of his career, Kessanlis participated in over thirty one-man exhibitions throughout Europe and his native Greece. His talents were such that in 1959 he was awarded the Modigliani Award at the Salon de Montrouge in France. Kessanlis was nominated to represent Greece at the Venice Biennale in 1961. Towards the latter part of his career Kessanlis devoted much of his time to teaching at the Athens Academy of Fine Arts. His work is represented in several collections throughout Europe.