Arts in Greece Archives - Greek News Agenda

Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 4/4 (Aegina, Spetses, Skiathos, Ios, Santorini)

iandrianopoulos — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Summer in Greece is synonymous with sunshine, the sea, and a vibrant cultural scene. This season, island escapes and visits to historic destinations offer more than breathtaking landscapes: they also provide the opportunity to discover some of the year's most exciting art exhibitions. From landmark retrospectives of acclaimed artists to innovative group shows in remarkable heritage sites, Greek News Agenda offers a selection of exhibitions not to miss during your summer travels through the Greek islands. Take a deep breath—and dream!

AEGINA

The Municipal Art Gallery of Aegina is presenting the major group ceramics exhibition "CHOMA" (Soil/Earth), (until August 23, 2026) conceived and curated by Iris Kritikou. Τhe exhibition offers a broad survey of the contemporary landscape of Greek ceramic art. The 80 participating artists present works that draw subtle references to primitive vessels, non-figurative prehistoric pottery, ancient votive and utilitarian ceramics, as well as the lustrous surfaces of ceramic vessels from other cultures. Other works engage in aesthetic dialogue with modern Greek art and contemporary international art. Above all, however, the exhibition showcases works distinguished by the originality of their conception and execution, affirming ceramics' enduring ability to move audiences and to stand as a major art form—one with deep historical roots, rich modern traditions, and limitless potential for innovation and artistic expression. (lower photo: ceramic work by Nikos Ghikas)

(upper photo: Aegina, https://www.discovergreece.com/attica/aegina )

SPETSES

The Anargyros Art Residency on Spetses has quickly established itself as one of Greece's most inspiring artist residency programmes. Set within the historic grounds of the Anargyrios and Korgialenios School of Spetses (AKSS), a former boarding school overlooking the sea, it offers artists a unique environment in which to live, create and exchange ideas. Under the artistic direction of Eva Vaslamatzi and the coordination of Simoni Niarou, the residency fosters dialogue among participants and the local community. This year's edition, centred on the theme of animism, transforms the school's remarkable setting into a vibrant space where history, nature and contemporary artistic practice converge. The contemporary art exhibition “Insular Animisms” (until August 30, 2026) at the AKSS is the outcome of the Anargyros Art Residency. The exhibition features works by six international artists working across visual arts, film, dance, and music (lower photo right : Nona Inescu, Things not generally known). Concurrently, Building A of the School hosts “Photo Capsule”, an exhibition showcasing works by four photographers (lower photo left).

(upper photo: Spetses, https://www.discovergreece.com/attica/spetses )

SKIATHOS

The recently restored Monastery of Panagia Eikonistria on Skiathos is hosting the group exhibition “In the Shadow of the Pines”, curated by archaeologist and art historian Iris Kritikou (until November 9, 2026). The exhibition's title is drawn from a recurring literary motif and symbolic landscape in the work of Alexandros Papadiamantis, Skiathos' celebrated novelist and one of Greece's greatest writers. Papadiamantis's writing is deeply intertwined with the island's natural world, evoking the fragrance, atmosphere, and spiritual serenity of its pine forests through an early, remarkably holistic ecological vision that approaches the sublime. Through their works, the participating artists pay tribute to Skiathos, creating a visual psychogeography of the island that resonates profoundly within the monastery's evocative setting. (lower photo: work by Iliana Paloglou)

(upper photo: Skiathos https://www.discovergreece.com/thessaly-sporades/skiathos )

IOS

The group exhibition ΓΑΙΑ/GAIA at the Gaïtis–Simossi Museum on Ios (August 1- October 19, 2026) explores the concept of the Earth as a mythological, natural and cultural entity. It develops two parallel narratives that intersect at a common point of reflection: humanity’s relationship with the natural world and the consequences of the ever-increasing disruption of that relationship. The choice of a Cycladic island – and specifically Ios – as the venue for this exhibition lends an additional layer of meaning to it. The Cyclades form a landscape where the presence of the Earth is instantly felt through the geomorphology, rock formations, intense light, and constant interplay between land and sea. From the prehistoric civilizations of the Aegean to the present day, the islands have fostered a unique relationship between humans and the natural environment, a relationship linked to memory, survival, creation and transformation. In the Cyclades, Gaia is not merely a mythological figure but, rather, a lived reality inscribed in the landscape itself and in the cultural identity of the land. (lower photo: Nikos Tranos, from the installation Terrain (Horse Bit – Bridle), 2015–2026)

(upper photo: Ios Chora, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/ios)

SANTORINI

The Tomato Industrial Museum “D.Nomikos” on Santorini, co-organises with the Theran Society of Arts and Sciences and in collaboration with the Cycladic Identity Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art, the exhibition “INDUSTRIANA: The industrial heritage of Santorini and Therasia” (until October 31, 2026). Through raw materials, production facilities, industrial machinery and personal testimonies, the exhibition explores the artisanal, pre-industrial and industrial history of Santorini and Therasia. The museum narrative is supported by historical records, preserved artefacts, contemporary documentation and interviews with former workers. The initiative was born out of the organisers’ commitment to preserving the memories of the region’s inactive industrial heritage before they are lost.

(upper phot: Santorini Fyra, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/santorini )

And after immersing yourself in the world of art, take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the idyllic beaches of the Greek islands

Aegina, Temple of Apollo beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/14-best-things-to-do-aegina#discover-unique-monuments-all-around-aegina)

Spetses, Agia Paraskevi beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/8-best-things-do-spetses)

Skiathos, Lalaria beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/10-best-beaches-skiathos)

Ios, Mylopotas beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/8-best-beaches-ios)

Santorini, Vlychada beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/8-best-beaches-santorini )

The post Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 4/4 (Aegina, Spetses, Skiathos, Ios, Santorini) appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 3/4 (Hydra, Rhodes, Lesvos, Rethymno, Chania)

iandrianopoulos — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000

HYDRA

This year, the Slaughterhouse Project on Hydra by DESTE FOUNDATION feature “Until That Day”, an exhibition by Nari Ward (b. 1963, St. Andrew, Jamaica; lives and works in New York), who is renowned for his sculptural installations composed of discarded material found and collected in his neighborhood (until October 31, 2026). By re-contextualizing these found objects, Ward creates thought-provoking juxtapositions that address social and political issues surrounding race, poverty, and consumer culture (middle photo left: Installation view, photo by Pinelopi Gerasimou for DESTE).

Visual artist Dimitris Antonitsis has organized the group exhibition “Hydor/Onar (Water of Dreams)” at Hydra School Projects (until September 6, 2026). The exhibition is the second chapter of a trilogy exploring the work of artists whose practices revolve around themes such as water, transformation, memory, and dreamlike states. Set against Hydra's luminous landscape, it examines the ways in which artistic creation emerges through intuition and instinct rather than certainty. At the heart of this ongoing trilogy is an artistic dialogue between two iconic figures whose lives and work were profoundly shaped by Hydra: Brice Marden and Jannis Kounellis. (middle photo right: Styliane Philippou's marble sculpture, photo by Pinelopi Gerasimou for Hydra School Projects).

Two elements of nature, two opposing worlds, come together to shape the universe of the exhibition “Of Ether and Sea”, featuring works by sculptor Venia Dimitrakopoulou, at the Hydra Historical Archive–Museum (until September 14, 2026). Hybrid forms—fragments of creatures that seem to belong simultaneously to the sea and the sky—emerge from the surface of marble in the new works of the acclaimed sculptor. (lower photo: Venia Dimitrakopoulou, «Anadyomene»)

(upper photo Hydra, https://www.discovergreece.com/attica/hydra)

RHODES

This summer, the second edition of the Biennale of Contemporary Keramics (BCK) takes place in the Medieval City of Rhodes (until October 31, 2026). Titled “Where the Day Starts”, the biennial transforms the island into an international meeting point for contemporary ceramic art. Spread across five landmark historic venues within the Medieval City, this year's edition brings together 42 artists from 18 countries, presenting a rich spectrum of contemporary practices and artistic approaches (lower photo: Asunción Molinos Gordo, ¡Cuánto río allá arriba!). Through its central exhibition and an extensive programme of events, BCK 2026 highlights contemporary ceramics as a dynamic and evolving medium of artistic expression, while also positioning it as a vital vehicle for intercultural dialogue across the Mediterranean.

(upper photo Rhodes Lindos, https://www.discovergreece.com/dodecanese/rhodes)

LESVOS

K-Gold Temporary Gallery on Lesvos presents the group exhibition “Spectral”, curated by Nikolaos Vamvouklis, and bringing together new and historical works by artists from different disciplines and placing the visual arts in dialogue with photography, dance, and fashion (until September 6, 2026). The exhibition explores how presence and absence can coexist within the same space. It is an attempt to understand these concepts by giving form to what cannot easily be seen or named: the other, the invisible, the unspeakable. And while memory does not retrieve a fixed image but instead often introduces a fracture into what we perceive as familiar, the exhibition approaches this fluid terrain not only as an atmosphere but also as a gesture. At the same time, K-Gold Temporary Gallery presents its annual exhibition “Re-Collection”, featuring works from its collection alongside material developed through projects on the island of Lesvos. The selection highlights artistic collaborations that have evolved since the organization's founding in 2014, proposing new encounters and fresh interpretations. (lower photo Bas Jan Ader, Please don’t leave me, 1969, House paint, lightbulbs, wire, dimensions variable, Courtesy of Meliksetian | Briggs, Dallas & Los Angeles)

(upper photo Lesvos Mytilene, https://www.discovergreece.com/north-aegean-islands/lesvos)

RETHYMNO

Visitors to Rethymno this summer will have the opportunity to see the retrospective exhibition “The Brittle Trace of Symbols” by Rethymno-born artist Nikos Alexiou (1960–2011) at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete (until November 6, 2026). The exhibition aims to illuminate key moments from the celebrated artist’s career, whose practice was rooted in memory—from his childhood blanket to Mount Athos, where he spent an extended period of his life. These personal references are interwoven with countless symbolic “roles,” while his meticulous attention to detail shapes a body of work in which innocence is constantly shadowed by tragedy. Reeds and twine, or delicate sheets of paper, appear perfectly balanced yet remain vulnerable, as though they could be destroyed by the slightest careless movement. The exhibition is curated by Maria Marangou. (On view until 6 November, lower photo: Nikos Alexiou Drawers, photo credit: Popi Alexiou),

(upper photo: Rethymno, https://www.discovergreece.com/crete/rethymno)

CHANIA

More than 150 paintings, installations, animations, comics, sculptures, notes, and preparatory sketches by Alexandros Psychoulis are on view in his new exhibition, “Runaway thoughts were my only danger”, at the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania (until October 4, 2026). Rather than following the linear narrative of a conventional retrospective, the exhibition highlights the artist’s pioneering contribution to contemporary Greek art, shaped by the influence of mass media, commercial television, new technologies, computers, pop culture, music, comics, graphic design, fashion, design, and architecture. At the same time, it brings into focus the defining threads of Psychoulis’s practice: the visual language that runs through and unifies his work, and the interplay between handcrafted techniques and technological mediation. The exhibition is curated by Christoforos Marinos. (lower photo: Alexandros Psychoulis, Meristomatrix, 2011, 70 x 100 cm, ballpoint pen on paper, a.antonopoulou.art),

(upper photo: The Venetian port of Chania, https://www.discovergreece.com/crete/chania )

And after immersing yourself in the world of art, take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the idyllic beaches of the Greek islands

Hydra, Hydronetta beach (https://www.hydra.gr/mobile/en_paralies.html)

Rhodes, Kallithea thermal springs beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/12-best-beaches-rhodes)

Lesvos, Aghios Ermogenis beach (https://www.visitlesvos.gr/en/natural-environment/beaches/, https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/12-best-beaches-lesvos)

Rethymno, Preveli beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/discover-15-best-beaches-crete )

Chania, Elafonissi beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/tra v el-ideas/best-of/discover-15-best-beaches-crete )

The post Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 3/4 (Hydra, Rhodes, Lesvos, Rethymno, Chania) appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 2/4 (Naxos, Amorgos, Tinos, Chios, Syros)

iandrianopoulos — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 07:30:00 +0000

NAXOS

The AFI collective brings together seven accomplished artists who, working with a wide range of materials—including paint, brushes, wood, iron, clay, handmade paper, thread, and fabric—and embracing the principles of slow making, translate ideas and traditional craft techniques into a contemporary visual language. Their new exhibition «syn AFI” at the historic Bazeos Tower on Naxos (until September 27, 2026) moves beyond a straightforward presentation of artworks, opening instead a meaningful dialogue with the monument’s handcrafted, sculptural architecture. In doing so, it proposes an alternative yet harmonious way of inhabiting the space—one that is both multisensory and multidimensional. The Naxos Festival, in the Bazeos Tower (lower photo right), began in the summer of 2001, as a bold and imaginative idea to transform an exceptional preserved monument, of the 17th century, into the current analogue of the function for which it was built: a temple of art, education and culture. (lower photo left: work by Inger Carlsson, lower photo right The Bazeos Tower)

(upper photo: Naxos Chora, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/naxos)

AMORGOS

“Mnemosyne” is a curatorial concept unfolding across the island of Amorgos, spanning three distinct locations from north to south through three interconnected exhibitions that invite visitors to journey across the island by way of memory, landscape, and the natural elements (July–August). Each exhibition explores a different facet of the overarching theme and can be experienced independently, while together they form a broader narrative linking water, place, time, and human experience. The journey begins in Aegiali with “Remembrance,” continues in Chora with “Whispers of Water,” an encounter between painting and ceramics that examines water as a force of transformation, and concludes in Kolofana with “Memory,” bringing together artists from a range of disciplines.

(upper photo: Amorgos Chora, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/amorgos)

TINOS

The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation presents the solo exhibition by Argiris Rallias titled “Litany” in the Museum of Marble Crafts in Pyrgos on Tinos (until November 30, 2026). The exhibition, curated by Christoforos Marinos, takes place in a venue dedicated to marble craftsmanship on Tinos and the connection of this precious material to labour, worship, community and everyday life. In Pyrgos, a land with a strong tradition in the art of marble, Rallias's sculpture meets the long history of local craftsmen, merging technical knowledge with creation. The exhibition's title alludes to the litany as the movement of a community around something that transcends it. In Rallias's work, this community includes people, animals, the dead, the relatives, objects and the landscape itself. Each sculpture carries a plea, a loss, a small request for protection ((photo lower left).

The Cultural Foundation of Tinos presents this summer the painting exhibition “From Chaos to Cosmos”, featuring works by Anna Maria Tsakali and Edouardos Sakayan (photo lower right). Conceived as a creative dialogue between two leading figures of the contemporary Greek art scene, the exhibition brings together their distinct painterly languages to engage with the existential, social, and ecological questions of our time. (until August 23, 2026)

(upper photo: Dovecoats, a feature of the Tinos landscape considered some of the most impressive works of art in the Cyclades, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/tinos)

CHIOS

The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation presents the temporary photography exhibition by Giorgos Tatakis titled “Caryatis IV | Chios” in the Chios Mastic Museum (until December 31, 2026). The exhibition includes thirty-six photographs in black and white, selected from numerous images captured by Tatakis on Chios (lower photo George Tatakis, Chios island, Mastichochorea, Olympoi, 2021). They depict women of various generations in landscapes, settlements and historical buildings on the island. Having documented traditional costumes and their variations from twenty-one villages of Chios, Tatakis points out: "In all my travels, I have never encountered another place with such an extraordinary diversity of traditional costumes. Chios, with its exceptional textile production and unparalleled quality of fabrics, combined with the prosperity ensured by commerce, gave rise to this remarkable variety of attire. Villagers in settlements located very close to each other sought to display their wealth by distinguishing themselves from their neighbours, and so, each village developed its own distinctive attire".

(upper photo Chios, The Mastic Villages, https://www.discovergreece.com/north-aegean-islands/chios)

SYROS

The Municipality of Syros–Ermoupolis presents the group exhibition of contemporary art “Metoikoi – Transition, Integration, Creation”, hosted at the Cyclades Art Gallery from 1 to 30 August 2026. The exhibition brings together works by distinguished Greek visual artists (Daskalakis, Georgiou, Manousakis, Sakayan, Misouras, Giannakaki, Rorris, Filopoulou, Ragkou, Tzamouranis, Lappas, and Samios) and develops a creative artistic dialogue with the history, identity, and cultural heritage of Ermoupolis. The Cyclades Art Gallery (photo lower right) has been housed since 1994 in four of the former transit warehouses on the northern quay of the port of Syros, in Ermoupolis. The warehouses were built between 1834 and 1839 based on designs by the Bavarian architect Johann Erlacher, who accompanied King Otto, and were among the earliest buildings constructed in Ermoupolis.

2026 is a truly special year as Syros honor the 200th anniversary of its city’s naming, Ermoupolis. The anniversary cultural program of the Municipality of Syros-Ermoupolis unfolds before you as a celebration of memory, creativity, and culture (photo lower left). Through a rich program of concerts, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, and activities for all ages, Syros transforms into a meeting point for arts and culture.

(upper phot Syros, Ermoupolis, Vaporia district, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/syros )

And after immersing yourself in the world of art, take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the idyllic beaches of the Greek islands

Naxos, Plaka beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/10-best-beaches-naxos)

Amorgos, Agios Pavlos beach (https://www.amorgos-island.gr/en/section/aegiali-beaches/, https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/10-best-things-do-amorgos )

Tinos, Kolympithra beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/10-b e st-beaches-tinos)

Chios, Mavra Volia beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/explore-10-best-beaches-chios)

Syros, Delfini beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/10-best-beaches-syros)

The post Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 2/4 (Naxos, Amorgos, Tinos, Chios, Syros) appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 1/4 (Andros, Paros, Poros, Samos, Corfu)

iandrianopoulos — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:13:19 +0000

ANDROS

The Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation presents at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros a tribute to Germaine Richier (1902-1959), one of the most important figures in 20th century European sculpture, titled “Germaine Richier (1902-1959) – Conversations” (until September 27, 2026). The exhibition retraces the entirety of Richier’s artistic career; despite her premature death at the age of 57, she left behind a remarkably coherent body of work devoted entirely to the exploration of living forms. The exhibition also features a reconstruction of Richier's studio and highlights her work in printmaking. (upper photo: Andros Chrora, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/andros)

PAROS

As part of the cultural program of Paros Park, the Porto Aoussa art space in Naoussa, Paros, hosts the exhibition “Memories from the Aegean” by internationally renowned photographer Robert A. McCabe (until September 30, 2026). The exhibition features 82 selected photographs, personally chosen by the artist specifically for Paros. Through McCabe's lens, visitors journey across the Aegean islands from the 1950s to the late 1970s, discovering a Greece that existed before the tourism boom and the arrival of modern transportation. His photographs capture people who are humble yet proud, living and working within an authentic, unpretentious landscape. At the same time, the photographs reveal the innocence of islands such as Paros, Mykonos, and Santorini, long before they evolved into the cosmopolitan destinations they are today.

(upper photo: Paros Naoussa, https://www.discovergreece.com/cyclades/paros)

POROS

The Citronne Gallery on Poros island presents two solo exhibitions: "The Game of Emergence" by Aphrodite Liti (lower photo left, until September 13, 2026) and "Traces" by Nikos Podias (lower photo right, until September 30, 2026), the latter organized in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and the Islands. Aphrodite Liti sets up a sculptural world where sea, memory and myth fuse into a single spatial experience. A contemporary conceptual practice emerges as the artist creates an open field of relations and interactions—between the art and the setting, matter and light, the natural and the artificial, the familiar and the surreal. She employs reflection, scale and transformation to correlate nature, myth and dream. Nikos Podias collects mundane materials and reworks them into precious, almost votive objects. Fragile matter—paper, teabags, tin foil—comes into the Archaeological Museum of Poros to meet the sturdiness of marble, the hardness of metal and the earthly density of clay.

(upper photo: Poros, https://www.discovergreece.com/attica/poros )

SAMOS

The group exhibition “Fragments and Futures”, presented at Art Space Pythagorion (until October 2, 2026), the exhibition venue of the Schwarz Foundation on Samos, brings together contemporary artists whose work engages with the visual languages, material remains, and mythic narratives of classical archaeology. Through painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and digital media, these artists reconsider how ancient forms and artefacts continue to shape our cultural imagination. The exhibition asks: What does it mean to “unearth” the past today? How do contemporary artists reinterpret the ruins and relics of antiquity in light of present-day questions about identity, heritage, and historical narrative? Rather than treating classical archaeology as a fixed canon of beauty and order, the exhibition foregrounds it as a site of active interpretation. The exhibition is curated by Katerina Gregos and Ioli Tzanetaki. (lower photo: Lucia Tallová, From the series Unstable Monuments, 2023)

(upper photo: Samos Pythagorio, https://www.discovergreece.com/north-aegean-islands/samos)

CORFU

The National Gallery’s Corfu Annex presents the exhibition ”Alekos Fassianos. Under the Summer Sun” (until January 11, 2027). The poetic gaze of Alekos Fassianos unfolds through figures, colours, and moments inspired by everyday life and memory. Bringing together 46 works – including oils, acrylics, and prints – the exhibition offers a representative overview of the artist’s creative journey. The featured pieces are drawn from the collections of the National Gallery, the Alekos Fassianos Museum, and private collections, spanning nearly six decades of his artistic production. Together, they highlight both the consistency and the evolution of Fassianos’s practice, alongside his singular ability to transform life’s “small, ordinary” moments into images full of life and intensity. (lower photo: Fassianos Alekos (1935 - 2022), Set for the Play “Let’s go for a Walk”, Oil on canvas, 300 x 400 cm, National Gallery)

(upper photo: Corfu, https://www.discovergreece.com/ionian-islands/corfu)

And after immersing yourself in the world of art, take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the idyllic beaches of the Greek islands

Andros, Old Lady's Leap beach (https://andros.gr/en/beaches.html, https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/10-best-things-do-andros)

Paros, Chrissi Akti (Golden Beach) (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/12-best-beaches-paros#chrissi-akti-beach)

Poros, The Russian Bay (https://visitporos.com/beaches.html)

Samos, Tsamadou beach (https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/best-of/12-best-beaches-samos)

Corfu, Palaiokastritsa beach (https://visit.corfu.gr/category/beaches/, https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/cover-story/best-beaches-corfu)

The post Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands, Part 1/4 (Andros, Paros, Poros, Samos, Corfu) appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Kalamata Made Street Art History!

iandrianopoulos — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:25:19 +0000

Kalamata has received a major international distinction, as the mural by visual artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos, depicting Maria Callas on the central Aristomenous Street, was named the best in the world for 2025 by the international institution Street Art Cities. The artwork adorns the city center and has already become a landmark for residents and visitors alike. Through a dynamic artistic approach, the image of the great opera diva Maria Callas is brought to life in a public space, linking street art with contemporary Greek culture.

According to Street Art Cities, “Kalamata just made street art history. @kle_omenis monumental Maria Callas mural has been voted Street Art Cities Best Of 2025, making it the first Greek winner ever. For artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos, this work is a living narrative about place, memory, and cultural continuity.” “Callas isn’t a commemorative portrait, but a symbolic presence, a body carrying culture between past and present,” he says. Nature, roots, fruit, birds: symbols of identity born from the land and the people who inhabit it. The public response was overwhelming. “When a work in public space is embraced like this, you realise it no longer belongs to you, but to the people who live with it,” KLE shares”.

(Source: Street Art Cities)

“Street Art Cities felt that power too: “Seeing Greece rally behind this mural was incredible. The passion and pride showed how strong the collective voice can be. We will soon visit to hand the award and see this monumental mural in person" shares Tiny Tim one of the co-founders. For KLE, the win is “a moment of gratitude, not a finish line, but motivation to keep working with responsibility toward the public space.” For Kalamata, it’s a reminder that cities can engage with contemporary culture without losing themselves. A mural rooted in place. A community that showed up. A historic first for Greece.”

(Source: Kleomenis Kostopoulos)

Speaking earlier to Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the creator of the mural, Kleomenis Kostopoulos noted: “The Street Art Cities platform manages around 80,000–85,000 murals worldwide, across approximately 2,000 cities. They approached me and asked whether I would like my work to participate in the competition that selects the best mural of each month, for November”. The public vote did indeed select the work ‘Kalamata’ as the best mural of November 2025, which automatically qualified it as a nominee for the best artwork of the year.

Mural by Kleomenis Kostopoulos in Patras (2022), commemorating the Greek Righteous Among the Nations and the rescue of the Jews of Zakynthos. The mural depicts the Mayor of Zakynthos, Loukas Karrer, the Metropolitan of Zakynthos, Chrysostomos, and Hermandos Mordos with his wife Eftychia and their four children, Rebecca (Becky), Samuel, Moses, and Nina (Source: The Jewish Community of Athens)

The artist himself did not begin in street art. “I am a visual artist and painter,” he says, describing a path that included studies in Athens, nearly a decade in Germany, and ultimately a return to his hometown of Patras. There, as he explains, he felt the need to activate the contemporary cultural landscape in a city and a country which, as he puts it, “have unfortunately been in decline in recent years and are at a very critical point.”

Murals of ArtWalk in Patras: “IN CHAOS FIND JOY” by SOTEUR & The Flying Dolphins, Korinthou 406, Patras 2023(upper left), “Another Bad Hair Day” by D*Face, Korinthou 50, Patras 2022(upper right), “A New Dionysus” by Mon Devane, Skagiopouliou 32, Patras 2022 (lower left), “Jacob’s ladder” by Leonidas Giannakopoulos, Evdimou 4, Patras 2022(lower right)

This need gave rise to Art in Progress, the non-profit organization he founded, as well as a series of international festivals: Re-culture and later ArtWalk, an international mural festival that is currently in the process of holding its 11^th edition. “We have completed 78 large-scale murals in Patras. It may be one of the most recognized festivals in Europe and beyond,” he notes. Through this process came his personal engagement with art in public space. “I was never a street artist. Through the festival, I observed how my fellow artists created these ‘magical’ works on such large scales. That’s how my own involvement with murals began, in 2018,” he explains.

(Source: Kleomenis Kostopoulos)

“Kalamata was a special case. The work emerged after many discussions with the Municipality, in a city that—according to the artist—was attempting such a central intervention in public space for the first time. “Out of absolute respect for public space, and for the fact that the city was entering the process of acquiring its first mural in such a central location, I wanted to engage with the very face of the city. To depict Kalamata itself,” explains Kleomenis Kostopoulos. “Thus, the choice of Maria Callas was not intended as a tribute to her person, but as a symbolic vehicle. Kalamata had to be a female figure. And because it is an outward-looking city, with tourism and an international audience that visits it, I felt that Callas—also due to a distant ancestral connection—could function as a representative figure,” he notes.

Working during the implementation of the project (Source: urbanjoy.gr)

Although the work was initially “misinterpreted” as a simple portrait, the artist clarifies that “this is not a portrait of Callas, but a portrait of Kalamata.” The mural is, in fact, filled with multi-layered symbolism: life and death, roots and evolution, natural wealth and human loss. On the seabed, for example, the businessman Papadimitriou is depicted swimming—an individual who linked his name to the city’s local products and passed away prematurely. “That’s what is beautiful about art in public space,” he says, explaining that the building itself is experientially connected to this story, as it was where the businessman once lived.

The trees behind the figure lack dense foliage, alluding to a “tragic element,” while the birds—from those with melodious songs to the crow—complete the cycle of life. Even the choice of the photograph of Callas is deliberately “more human, more worn,” far removed from the stylized images of the diva. Finally, the dress functions as a reference to agricultural products and the productive identity of the region.

Working during the implementation of the project. Photo: Dimitris Neofotistos/Street Art: KLE (Source: urbanjoy.gr)

The realization of the project was anything but easy. It began in late October 2025, with weather conditions forcing interruptions due to rainfall, and was ultimately completed in November 2025. Shortly afterward came the international recognition, and “Kalamata” is now competing in the major vote for the best artwork of 2025, facing cities and countries with long traditions in street art and significant international reach. However, the message conveyed by the artist goes beyond personal distinction, serving as evidence of the dynamism of contemporary Greek art.

Street art in Greece is a vibrant formof expression. Especially in cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, murals and graffiti reflect themes such as history, identity, and everyday urban life. Influenced by both local traditions and international movements, Greek street art has transformed public spaces into open-air galleries and has become an important voice for contemporary social commentary.

The Street Art Cities platform lists 574 street art masterpieces in Athens: https://streetartcities.com/cities/athens

Fotis Kontoglou and the Continuity of Greek Art

dtrogadi — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the death of Fotis Kontoglou, the exhibition “Taximia”: In the Tradition of the Greek Mode: From History to Contemporary Painting explores the diachronic continuity of a visual mode that permeates Greek art from antiquity to the present. Rather than treating tradition as a static heritage or a style to be reproduced, the exhibition proposes it as a living, evolving method of seeing, thinking, and image-making—one that remains active across time.

Through approximately 150 works, the Greek line, “a thread that carries memory”, emerges as a bearer of deeper meaning. The Greek mode is understood as an attitude that shapes how the artist encounters the world. This continuity in painting is sustained not only by artists, but also by the dedication of individuals, collectors, and institutions who actively preserve and promote a living tradition. Through their participation, the Greek mode is revealed not as heritage, but as an ongoing dialogue, bridging past, present and future creation.

Fotis Kontoglou The Tall Boulder in Dimitsana
Private Collection

The exhibition’s curatorial approach focuses on the so-called Greek mode as a way of seeing and constructing the image, notes art historian and curator Niovi Kritikou. From the Minoan era through classical antiquity and Byzantine art, a mode emerges that brings together seemingly opposing elements: abstraction and narration, sacredness and everyday life, measure and rhythm, restraint and expressive tension. These elements persist over time not as fixed forms, but as recurring principles that adapt to new historical and cultural contexts.

Through these principles, the Greek mode establishes a relationship with the viewer that differs fundamentally from Western representational paradigms. Rather than functioning as an illusionistic window into space, the image becomes a field of encounter and dialogue, inviting the viewer into an active, meaningful relationship with the work. The image is not autonomous or self-contained, but socially and culturally active, inseparable from its role within a community.

Babis Pylarinos, Alexandros Papadiamantis and Alexandros Moraitidis humbly in Skiathos

Fotis Kontoglou occupies a central position in this narrative. His contribution lies in his profound understanding of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art and his ability to translate its principles into a modern artistic context. Kontoglou liberated Byzantine imagery from narrow notions of representation, transforming it into presence—an active visual language relevant to the contemporary world. His work exerted a decisive influence on subsequent generations, particularly artists associated with the Generation of the 1930s, who sought to articulate a modern Greek identity without severing ties to tradition.

The title Taximia, a term borrowed from music referring to improvisation within a traditional framework, aptly encapsulates the exhibition’s conceptual approach. Just as musical taximia involve free improvisation grounded in tradition, explains art historian Emmanouela Archangelaki, the artists improvise upon the Greek mode, reactivating it through personal expression.

This practice begins with Fotis Kontoglou, who translated the lessons of Byzantine and Greek art into a contemporary pictorial language. Artists of the Generation of the 1930s continued this effort, shaping what we now recognize as the Greek mode, one in which line, surface, and palette function as living presence and imprint of place. Contemporary artists do not imitate this mode; rather, they transcribe it into the visual language of the present.

Konstantinos Parthenis The Small Chapel of Kefalonia, Vogiatzoglou Art Gallery

At the heart of the exhibition lies the notion of a Greek script: a thread of memory shaped by light and the erosions of place, where motif carries collective experience and composition becomes a field of measure. The Greek mode does not observe the world from a distance; it traverses it, listens to it, and transcribes it into an image.

Through this encounter of works and generations, the exhibition proposes that the Greek mode is not a fixed aesthetic schema of the past, but an open method continuously reactivated in the present. The exhibition thus forms a public space of shared memory, where tradition is not passively inherited but actively experienced. Art becomes a communal practice, weaving together ideas, emotions, memory, history, and lived experience—a living art, inseparable from the experience it offers.

The exhibition highlights the continuity among key figures of modern Greek art -Stephanos Almaliotis, Aghinor Asteriadis, Fotis Kontoglou, Rallis Kopsidis, and Tasos Mantzavinos- through works from private collections managed by the Archive of Modern Greek Religious Art, as well as works generously loaned by the Vogiatzoglou Art Gallery (Yannis Moralis, Vasso Katraki, Kostas Papanikolaou, Konstantinos Parthenis, Yannis Tsarouchis, Pavlos Samios, Alekos Fassianos). These are presented alongside works by contemporary artists, including Demosthenis Avramidis, Nektarios Antonopoulos, Giorgos Armakollas, Fotis Varthis, Giannis Efthymiou, Markos Kampanis, Nikos Kanavos, Kostas Karakitsos, Christos Kehagioglou, Giorgos Kordis, Alekos Kyrarinis, Dina Liarostathi, Nektarios Mamais, Aimilios Metaxas, Stavroula Mitsakou, Anastasios Babatzias, Christos Papadakis, Xenia Papadopoulou, Gina Papadopoulou, Achilleas Papakostas, Fr. Stamatis Skliris, Kostas Papatriantafyllopoulos, Babis Pylarinos, Jenny Saridi, Hambis, Pantazis Tselios, Emmeleia Filippopoulou, and Faii Psychopaedopoulou.

Intro photo: Christos Kehagioglou Life Giving Fountain

The post Fotis Kontoglou and the Continuity of Greek Art appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Exhibition “Ghika: A Journey to India” by Benaki Museum & Greek Embassy in New Delhi

nefeli mosaidi — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000

In 1958, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika embarked on a journey from West to East that lasted several months. This trip, which was instrumental in shaping his painting style, had as its main destinations America, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and Nepal.

India was the second major stop on his journey after Japan, with many of his drawings being inspired by that country, and in particular by the city of Benares (Varanasi). In India, Ghika discovered passion, mystery, and picturesque beauty, and he created a series of drawings depicting rituals, temples, women with babies, monkeys, and cows. The majority of these works were executed in India ink using the Japanese sumi technique, on handmade paper purchased from a factory in Nepal.

These drawings, together with a series of texts from his travels, are the only works that Ghika ultimately managed to publish in 1959 in a bilingual album, whose title was translated into English by Patrick Leigh Fermor. His texts and drawings are so closely interwoven that it is unclear whether the images illustrate the words or whether the words give voice to the images.

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika (ΠΧΓ 594) Indian women carrying loads, (1958). Indian ink on Nepal paper, 0,38 x 0,46 m. Be n aki Museum - Ghika Gallery, Athens

From lefto to right: Dr Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, director general of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Ioanna Moraiti, curator of the Ghika Gallery Archive at Benaki Museum, Aliki Koutsomitopoulou, Ambassador of Greece to India, and Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary of India's Union Ministry of Culture, at the exhibition's inauguration.

The exhibition Ghika: A Journey to India, dedicated exclusively to Ghika’s journey to India, was inaugurated at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), in New Delhi. The exhibition features twenty-seven drawings along with archive material. A video/animation is also presented, featuring the artist and his wife as central characters, who, through texts and drawings, guide visitors through their fascinating wanderings in the cities of India.

The exhibition was realized as a collaboration between the Benaki Museum, the NGMA, and the Greek Embassy in New Delhi, with the support of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Ministry of Culture. It is hosted in the historic Jaipur House building of the NGMA, a UNESCO-protected monument, and will remain open to the public until 12 February 2026.

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika (ΠΧΓ 271) Benares, India, 1958 Diluted ink and brush on paper, 0,275 x 0,575 m. Benaki Museum - Ghika Gallery, Athens

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika (ΠΧΓ 597) Religious ceremony, (1958). Indian ink on Nepal paper, 0,38 x 0,46 m. Benaki Museum - Ghika Gallery, Athens

The inauguration event was addressed by Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary of India's Union Ministry of Culture, Dr Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, director general of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Ioanna Moraiti, curator of the Ghika Gallery Archive at Benaki Museum, and Aliki Koutsomitopoulou, Ambassador of Greece to India. Mr. Aggarwal and Mr. Kishor Goutam emphasized their enthusiasm for the exceptionally refined curation of the presentation of the works and for the fact that, after several decades, an exhibition of an exceptionally important Greek artist is taking place in India. The ceremony was attended by numerous artists, diplomats, friends of the Embassy and the NGMA, as well as journalists. The event received extensive coverage on television, social media, and in the press.

MOMus Air – A modern art museum at Thessaloniki Airport

nefeli mosaidi — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:14:53 +0000

Airports are complex infrastructures that involve, among other things, air transport (passengers/cargo), aircraft parking, support services, commercial activities (shops, cafes), and flight management (air traffic control, aircraft maintenance). However, its usefulness can be expanded and -under the right conditions- present an important opportunity to showcase a country's cultural wealth.

For example, at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, the largest airport in the country, there are four permanent exhibitions in addition to temporary exhibitions:

1. An exhibition of archaeological findings discovered in Mesogaia, containing 172 archaeological artifacts dating from the Neolithic and Early Helladic to the Post-Byzantine Periods.

2. The exhibition "Eleftherios Venizelos at Athens International Airport," which chronicles the role of Eleftherios Venizelos in modern Greek history and in the establishment of the Ministry of Aviation in 1929.

3. An exhibition that houses the masterpieces of the Acropolis and also offers a glimpse into life in ancient Athens.

4. A permanent exhibition of a sculptural installation, from aluminum composite panels & vinyl letters.

In December 2025, the opening of the MOMus Air museum in the departure area of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” was announced by the Ministry of Culture, the Metropolitan Organization of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki (MOMus), and Fraport Greece.

At the airport venue, MOMus Air showcases visual artworks and digital creations, and also has video walls projections and documentaries from the five museums of the MOMus network.

As Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said, "MOMus Air is an excellent example of how culture can meet everyday life and accompany citizens even in the most unexpected places along their journey. This initiative enhances the outward focus of contemporary Greek creativity and makes Thessaloniki Airport a vibrant gateway to culture. The exhibition space transforms the departure area into a cultural landmark, connecting travel with the experience of contemporary art.

The project is a product of the collaboration between the airport management company and MOMus. As the President of the Organization stated: "MOMus Air would not have come to fruition without the practical support of the Ministry of Culture, which firmly supports our mission. Our warmest thanks also go to Fraport Greece for their excellent cooperation and for granting us such a central location at the largest airport in Northern Greece. With this new cultural gateway, MOMus is strengthening its outward orientation, promoting contemporary Greek creativity to an international audience, and contributing significantly to the enhancement of Thessaloniki's image."

MOMUS Air is part of the project “Enhancing digital projects and cultural exports of MOMus,” implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0” with funding from the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

MOMUS, based in Thessaloniki, is a cultural organization comprising a network of five museums focusing on contemporary and modern creation, photography, and experimental artistic expression. It has a significant international presence.

Sources: AMNA, Athens International Airport, Ministry of Culture, MOMus

Image source: Ministry of Culture

The post MOMus Air – A modern art museum at Thessaloniki Airport appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

The National Glyptotheque (Part II)

iandrianopoulos — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 08:57:35 +0000

The National Glyptotheque in Athens presents modern Greek sculpture from the 19^th and 20^th centuries, organised in thematic sections. The following Part II examines the evolution of Greek sculpture into Modernism, Abstraction, and contemporary trends. (Cover photo: General view of the National Glyptotheque outdoor area featuring Twelve Ray-Spoked Wheel on Cables Counterbalanced by a Sphere (1993), a large-scale sculpture by Theodoros, from the series "Equilibriums - Suspensions", Stainless steel and wire, 16 x 30 m)

Modernism and tradition. The French apprenticeship

General view of the 20^th century Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque

By the end of the first two decades of the 20^th century, Paris had won over Greek artists. At the same time, the sculptural ideas of Rodin—who drew deeply from the spirit of ancient Greek sculpture, blending its idealized forms with modern intensity and emotional realism—coexisted with those of Aristide Maillol (1861–1944), Antoine Bourdelle (1861–1929), and Charles Despiau (1874–1946). Each exercised his own distinctive influence on Greek sculptors, while maintaining their shared focus on art centered on the human figure. The Hellenophile Antoine Bourdelle, in particular, brought once more to the fore the virtues of Greek Archaic sculpture and its austere style. Through his work and teaching, he guided his students back to the roots of their art. Maillol’s fleshy female figures, with their simple curves, simplified volumes, and clear outlines, played an especially decisive role for all who adopted his style, either wholly or selectively. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

Apartis Thanassis (1899 - 1972), Torso of a Portuguese Man or Male Torso, 1921, Bronze, 67 x 39 x 22 cm (left). Apartis was the first of several Greek sculptors to study under Antoine Bourdelle. The teachings of the latter and other descendents of Rodin and the simplicity of Archaic sculpture shaped Apartis’ style (left). Pappas Yannis (1913 - 2005), The Painter Yannis Moralis, 1937, Bronze, 174 x 55 x 45 cm (right). Pappas remained faithful to the figurative depiction focused on the human being throughout his entire artistic career. His style echoes both archaic Greek and Egyptian sculpture, as well as the contemporary trends.

Tombros Michael (1889 - 1974), Two Friends, 1929, Marble, 66 x 33 x 21 cm (left) Stout Seated Woman, 1948, Bronze, 103 x 45 x 68 cm (right). Tombros was a leader in disseminating avant-garde European currents in Greek art. While always remaining anthropocentric, he created free works, particularly of female figures, mainly reflecting Aristide Maillol’s plastic style (right)

Raftopoulou Bella (1902 - 1992), Maiden, 1931, Stone, 64 x 36,5 x 27,5 cm (left). Working mainly in stone, which she carved directly, Raftopoulou focused on the female figure as well as animals and birds. In her earliest works, the realistic approach reflected what she had learned from her professor, Thomas Thomopoulos, and, in certain cases, even Rodin. Makris Memos (Agamemnon) (1913-1993), Spring Dance, 1977, Hammered copper, 230 x 100 x 76 cm (right). Makris centered his attention on the human figure, faithful to representation but with a strong tendency toward the schematic and the abstract. His full figure sculptures, reflect the precepts of archaic art as well as his apprenticeship in Paris.

Anthropocentrism. Towards simplification and abstraction

General view of the 20th century Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque. On the left side: Efthymiadi-Menegaki Frosso (1911 - 1995), Nike, (1960), Hammered brass, 103,5 x 84 x 35,5 cm. After 1955, Efthymiadi turned to metal and created abstract compositions, either static or in motion, in which the void plays a prominent role.

By the mid-1940s, the human figure and figurative representation had practically monopolized the interest of Greek artists. However, the stimuli they received in Paris were numerous and diverse. Thus, while several remained faithful to academic styles, others, from the early 1950s onward, gradually turned to more simplified and abstract forms. This shift led to a schematic, suggestive, fragmentary, or expressionistic rendering of the human figure, which in some cases was also used as a means of expressing political or social protest, anxious psychological states, or personal experiences. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

Avramidis Joannis (1922 - 2016), Polis, 1965 – 1968, Bronze, 203 x 270 x 135 cm. Containing clear-cut elements from archaic sculpture, Avramidis’ figures are rendered schematically, in the form of a column or pillar, isolated or in a multiplicity of combinations.

Kalakallas Giorgos (1938 - 2021), Harlequin, 1983, Bronze, 108 x 65 x 30 cm (left). Kalakallas fashioned his personal style combining elements taken from differing stylistic trends and the tradition with the avant garde. Koulentianos Kostas (1918 - 1995), Sea Victory, 1954, Iron, 76 x 63 x 33 cm (right). The influence of Henri Laurens can be easily spotted in the works from the 50s, in which Koulentianos was still working in a figurative framework, but with a strong abstractive tendency, his subjects still revolving around the human figure.

Abstraction and other trends

The trend toward simplification and abstraction, initially expressed through sculpture rooted in the human figure, gradually led to the rejection of figurative representation and ultimately to complete abstraction. At the same time, sculptors abandoned traditional materials and turned to iron, steel, and other metals. Cubism and Constructivism—with their dynamic projection into space and the incorporation of empty space as a defining sculptural element—became key sources of inspiration, as did organic forms. Compositions were enriched with new materials. Science and technology also provided important stimuli. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

Aperghis Achilleas (1909 - 1986), Solitude, 1966, Bronze, 205 x 58 x 38 cm (left). Even in the earliest of Apergis’ abstract works the endeavor to limit the volume while developing the figure in space is apparent, sometimes stressing the vertical and other times the horizontal. Sklavos Yerassimos (1927 - 1967), La Passante, 1965, Marble, 266 x 100 x 63 cm (right). Sklavos created works in the round, in the context mainly of geometric and in certain cases organic abstraction. In 1960, he invented “Telesculpture”, a patented technique that enabled him to carve his materials more easily, using an oxyacetylene flame.

Lameras Lazaros (1913 - 1998), Penteli in Ecstasy, 1948, Marble, 48,5 x 47 x 12 cm (left). The inspiration for the piece was the mountain in Attica that had provided the marble for many important works of sculpture dating back to antiquity. Lameras was a sculptor who comfortably moved between traditional art and contemporary currents. Vari Sofia (1940 - 2023), Centaur, 1985, Bronze, 77 x 70 x 60 cm (right). Vari’s early stylisation evolved into abstraction, echoing the styles of Henry Moore and Jean Arp, with subjects inspired by Greek mythology.

Zongolopoulos Giorgos (1903 - 2004), Composition of Circles, 1998, Stainless metal, 300 cm. A significant portion of Zongolopoulos’ oeuvre is made up of his constructivist compositions that incorporate the void.

After Abstraction

General view of the 20th century Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque. On the left side: Zouni Opy (1941 - 2008), White Column, 1991, Acrylic in wooden manufacture with base stainless steel, 240 x 20 x 20 cm. Through geometric shapes, bold colours, and a lyrical mood, Zouni captures light, shadow, motion, and perspective, and the immense space seems even more immense, due to the human absence.

Abstraction, which dominated the 1960s and 1970s, later declined, giving way to—or at times coexisting with—a variety of other artistic currents. From the 1980s onward, a renewed turn toward figurative and expressive forms emerged, embraced not only by younger artists but also by those who had previously committed to abstraction. This shift often resulted in works of striking realism, with traditional materials frequently replaced by everyday or natural substances. The human figure appears as part of an environment or installation that reshapes its meaning, occasionally conveying irony, layered critique, or protest. Conversely, although depictions of nature are relatively uncommon in sculpture, they do surface in different forms within the work of certain artists—either as a primary focus or as a fragment within their broader creative practice. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

Liti Aphroditi (1953), Leaf, 1984, Iron, mirror, 73 x 333 x 508 cm. Drawing her inspiration from nature, Liti transforms reality into outsized images, elements from the natural world that reside on the ground or are suspended. Various metals, mirrors, mosaics, marble, stone and plaster are the mediums she uses to remodel images of the natural world.

Papayannis Theodoros (1942), Figure from the series “My Phantoms”, 1994 – 1995, Wood, metal and mixed media, height 250 cm (left). The human figure isolated or in pairs, has been the focus of Papayannis’ work in all the stages of his creative career. He quickly distanced himself from strict naturalistic depiction, turning to more abstract renditions. Papadimitriou Angelos (1952), Apollo (Ap’ olon), 2007, Porcelain, papier mache, polyester, iron, 110 x 140 x 180 cm (right). The work is inspired by C.P. Cavafy’s poem “Artificial Bloom”.

Current exhibition: “The Farm”

Exhibition view featuring Frosso Efthymiadi-Menegaki’s Ibex (1955), Brass, 74 × 41 × 24 cm

Currently, the exhibition "THE FARM" is presented in the outdoor space of the National Glyptotheque. Works by Thanassis Apartis, Bella Raftopoulou, Antonis Karachalios, Yannis Antoniadis, Nikolas Dogoulis, but especially Frosso Efthymiadi Menegaki, create a fantastic, artistic environment, integrated into the natural landscape of the park, with familiar and less well-known figures, in characteristic poses. At the same time, however, they reveal the relationship, the emotions and the unique perspective of each artist towards the animals or birds they wanted to depict: the tenderness for their own pet or for the pet of a neighbor, but also for the unknown animals, which they used as models. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

The Christos Kapralos Museum, an annex of the National Gallery on the island of Aegina

In 1995, the six halls of Christos Kapralos’ workshop on the island of Aegina began operating as a museum (photo above), two years after the sculptor’s death. In 2006, the Christos and Souli Kapralos Foundation became part of the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum. In its halls and outdoor areas, visitors can view wooden, stone, and marble sculptures, as well as paintings, all created by the sculptor on Aegina. Among the most important exhibits are the plaster cast of Kapralos’ forty-meter porous-stone frieze The Monument to the Battle of Pindos (1952–1956), as well as the wooden complex Parody from the Pediment of Olympia (1971–1972). Christos Kapralos (1909-1993) focused on the human figure, modeled realistically in clay, plaster, stone, and marble and inspired by archaic Greek sculpture. In the 1960s he adopted semi-abstract forms in copper, marked by distortion and fragmentation. He also created wood compositions drawing on mythology, history, Christian themes, and everyday objects.

Read also:

The National Glyptotheque (Part I)

Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 1/6: “From self-referentiality to the gesture”

Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 2/6: “From Painting to the Object”

Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 3/6: “From Sculpture to Energy”

Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 4/6: “From the work to the process”

Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 5/6: “From rhetoric to cultural representation”

Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 6/6: “Towards a new spatial art”

Greek Sculpture Meets Diplomacy: Frosso Efthymiadi’s “Iketides” at the UN

I.A.

The post The National Glyptotheque (Part II) appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

The National Glyptotheque (Part I)

iandrianopoulos — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:37:57 +0000

The National Glyptotheque is housed in the twin buildings of the former Royal Stables at the Army Park in Goudi, Athens. Moreover, it covers an outdoor area of 6.500㎡, which hosts a sculpture park, where large-scale works are on display. It was inaugurated in 2004, with a retrospective exhibition of Henry Moore and monumental wood sculptures by Christos Kapralos. In 2006, the Modern Greek Sculpture Permanent Display was inaugurated, providing, for the first time, a complete overview of the sculpture collection in a dedicated space. Also for the first time, a comprehensive catalogue was published, available in English (Cover photo: General view of the National Glyptotheque).

Six iconic sculptures by major international artists are on display at the exhibition entrance: Magritte Rene (1898 - 1967), The Healer (Le Therapeute), 1967, Bronze, 145 x 128 x 90 cm, donated by Alexandros Iolas (right), Unknown, Island Fanlights, Marble (left)

The exhibition consists of eleven sections, which trace Modern Greek sculpture from its earliest beginnings to the present day.

Folk sculpture

After Christianity spread, ancient Greek sculpture declined, becoming mainly decorative. In post-Byzantine times, it survived as folk art through wood, metal, and stone carving. By the early 19^th century, sculpture revived on the Ionian Islands and across Greece, where anonymous craftsmen created remarkable works on fountains, houses, churches, and tombs, blending Western, Eastern, and traditional elements. In the Cyclades—especially on Tinos island, known for its marble-working tradition—stone carving thrived. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

Unknown, Island Fanlight, Marble, 52 x 73,5 cm. The fanlights are a separate category of lintels all their own, widespread throughout Tinos island. In the shape of a perforated relief arch, they were placed over the doors or the windows and served a multiple function: structural, because they cover the relieving triangle over the lintel, practical, because they allowed light to reach the inside, aesthetic, because they were decorated with various depictions and magical because the decorative representations frequently had the aforementioned attribute of protecting the house from, or driving away, evil spirits.

Lytras Chatziantonis (c. 1800 - 2nd half 19th century), Windmill, 1837, Marble, 49 x 62 cm. An eponymous example of folk sculpture made by the marble sculptor Chatziantonis Lytras, father of the painter Nikephoros Lytras, just before the appearance of official sculpture in the newly liberated Greek state. It bears the marks of the characteristic perception of the folk artisan: decorative schematization, a flat rendering without any perspective and a lack of proportions.

Ionian Island Sculpture and Neoclassical Sculpture

The reappearance of sculpture as an autonomous art and its liberation from its secondary, decorative role was realized at the beginning of the 19^th century in the Ionian Islands through the work of the Corfiot sculptor Pavlos Prossalentis the Elder. Prossalentis was the first academic modern Greek sculptor and in 1813 he founded the first Art School in Greece, on the island of Corfu, since the rest of Greece was still under the Turkish yoke.

After Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834, many skilled Tinian craftsmen arrived to help decorate the city’s new buildings. The need for organized art education led to the founding of the School of Arts in 1837, where sculpture began being taught in 1847 under German sculptor Christian Siegel. He introduced neoclassicism, inspired by ancient Greek and Roman art. Early students, including Ioannis Kossos, Lazaros and Georgios Fytalis, and Leonidas Drossis, who made the sculptural decoration for the Athens Academy, became leading neoclassical sculptors. Their works—statues of heroes, public figures, and funerary monuments—reflected both classical ideals and the emerging identity of the modern Greek state. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

General view of the Neoclassical Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque

Prossalentis Pavlos the Elder (1784 - 1837), Plato, 1815, Marble, 46 x 34 x 24 cm; it is the first dated work in modern Greece (left), Fytalis Georgios (1830 - 1880), Shepherd with Baby Goat, 1856, Marble, 110 x 48 x 42 cm (right)

Drossis Leonidas (1834 - 1882), Penelope, 1873, Marble, 143 x 75 x 133 cm (left), Vroutos Georgios (1843 - 1909), The Spirit of Copernicus, 1877, Marble, 188 x 77 x 67 cm (right)

Yannoulis Chalepas (1851-1938) stands as a unique figure in modern Greek sculpture, his career marked by both brilliance and tragedy. A gifted artist, he studied at the Athens School of Arts and the Munich Academy, where he excelled before financial hardship forced his return to Athens in 1876. Despite early success, mental illness struck in 1878, ending his first creative period, which had drawn heavily on ancient Greek themes. After years in the Corfu Asylum (1888–1902) and the destruction of his later works by himself and his mother, Chalepas resumed sculpting only after her death in 1916. His mature style abandoned academic precision for a freer, instinctive approach that emphasized essential form over detail. His later works—robust, introspective, and symbolically charged—reflect a deeply personal dialogue with antiquity and his own inner struggles.

Chalepas Yannoulis (1851 - 1938), Sleeping Female Figure (Plaster cast from the tomb of Sofia Afentaki in the First Cemetery of Athens), 1878, Plaster, 77 x 178 x 76 cm (upper), Medea III, 1933, Plaster, 72 x 43 x 24 cm (lower left), The Secret, before 1927, Painted plaster, 48 x 30 x 20 cm (lower right)

General view of the 20^th century Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque

From Neoclassicism to Realism and to 20^th century

Neoclassicism dominated Greek sculpture through the 19^th century and into the early 20^th, but studies in Europe exposed Greek sculptors to new artistic trends. This led to more realistic themes inspired by everyday life, often created to decorate gardens and entertain the public. Dimitrios Filippotis pioneered such works in 1869 with The Harvester, depicting children in daily activities. Georgios Vroutos and Georgios Bonanos also embraced realism while preserving neoclassical traits—idealized forms and smooth surfaces. In contrast, traditional subjects like busts soon adopted a more naturalistic style, portraying real individuals rather than idealized, imaginary figures. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

Filippotis Dimitrios (1834 - 1919), Boy with Piggy-Bank, (1888), Marble, 136 x 47 x 40 cm (right), Irene Abanopoulou, 1879, Marble, 68 x 48 x 29 cm (left)

Bonanos Georgios (1863 - 1940), Nana, 1896 – 1897, Marble, 165 x 91 x 132 cm (left), Vroutos Georgios (1843 - 1909), The Boy with the Crab, 1891, Marble, 125 x 50 x 50 cm (right)

The turn to Paris

Although 19^th-century Greek sculpture was dominated by neoclassicism, a shift toward renewal began around 1870, blending classical tradition with emerging realistic trends. Artists gradually turned to Paris, as seen with Lazaros Sochos, who studied there - he was the first Greek sculptor who preferred to do his post-graduate studies in the French capital in 1885 - and created the equestrian statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis, in front of the Old Parliament House in Athens, now housing the National Historical Museum. At the same time, Auguste Rodin’s influence transformed European sculpture and inspired many Greeks. His expressive modeling, use of allegory, and focus on the fragmentary figure appealed to sculptors trained in the neoclassical style. Thomas Thomopoulos, although having studied in Munich, was to be characterized as “the introducer of the Rodin School into Greece”, while Kostas Dimitriadis fully developed it, establishing modern Greek sculpture’s new direction. (Source: National Glyptotheque)

Sochos Lazaros (1857/1862 - 1911), Bust of a Clergyman (probably the Greek priest, philosopher and revolutionary, Theophilos Kairis), 1889, Clay, 50 x 31 x 20 cm (left), Vitsaris Ioannis (1843 - 1892), Christos, the Black Guy, 1874, Painted plaster, 7,8 x 36,3 x 39 cm (right)

Dimitriadis Constantinos (1879 - 1943), Nude Female Figure or Dancer, 1920, Marble, 75 x 23 x 52 cm (left), Thomopoulos Thomas (1873 - 1937), Centaur, 1901, Painted marble, 60,5 x 34 x 17 cm

The following Part II will examine the evolution of Greek sculpture into Modernism, Abstraction, and contemporary trends.