Tributes have been paid to a successful Hampstead painter who passed away aged 91.

Michael Michaeledes, who lived in Redington Road for decades, died on February 24. He was the longest-standing artist at Annely Juda Fine Art gallery, in Mayfair.

Nina Fellmann, the gallery’s associate director, said: “We had exhibitions from the late ’60s of Michael’s work.

“He was very funny, he had a great sense of humour. He would always come to the gallery for other artists’ openings. He was well-admired by fellow artists and people in the art world.”

Mr Michaeledes, who grew up in Cyprus, studied fine art and architecture in Milan and London.

He moved to London permanently in 1955 and held his first one-man exhibition in 1959. He first exhibited with Annely Juda in 1961.

During his long career, Mr Michaeledes exhibited in over 40 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 80 group shows around the world.

He began his artistic career painting near-naturalistic landscapes and scenes of Cypriot life, before gradually abandoning the figurative in favour of abstraction.

By the mid 1960s he had moved away from painting and started making shaped canvas reliefs. His work is held in numerous private collections, museums and foundations around the world.