Patrick Procktor, one of the most important British artists of the late 20th century, was celebrated for his natural and colourful figurative style, particularly in watercolours. He was known to be an intrepid traveller, drawing inspiration from his trips to Greece, India, and Morocco. Procktor's works have been exhibited at prestigious galleries like the Redfern Gallery and have been featured in museum shows such as the one at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 1985. In 2012, a retrospective of his work was held at Huddersfield Art Gallery. His art can be found in collections worldwide, including the British Museum in London, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Museo de Arte São Paulo in Brazil.

Patrick Procktor, a contemporary of David Hockney, was a prominent British artist known for his thin wash watercolours and depictions of the male form. The subject of Tea in Athens may be the artist, Michael Upton, who travelled with Procktor on his Grecian Odyssey. In 1962, upon graduating from the Slade, Procktor was awarded an Abbey Minor travel scholarship of £250. He spent the summer in Italy and Greece with Upton and his girlfriend, Anne McKechnie, and produced a number of watercolours of Upton swimming in the Aegean Sea.