The National Gallery ( el, Εθνική Πινακοθήκη, ''Ethniki Pinakothiki'') is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

located on Vasilissis Sofias avenue in the Pangrati district, Athens, Greece. It is devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century to the 20th century. The newly renovated building reopened after an 8 year refurbishment, on 24 March 2021, a day before the 200th anniversary of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

History

It was established in 1878 as a small collection of 117 works exhibited at the Athens University. In 1896,

Alexandros Soutzos Alexandros Soutzos (, , 1758 – January 18/19, 1821, Bucharest) was a Phanariote Greek who ruled as Prince of Moldavia (July 10, 1801 – October 1, 1802 and Prince of Wallachia (July 2, 1802 – August 30, 1802; August 24, 1806 – October 15, ...

, a jurist and art lover, bequeathed his collection and estate to the

Greek Government Greece is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the President of Greece is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government within a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the go ...

aspiring to the creation of an art museum. The museum opened in 1900 and the first curator was Georgios Jakobides, a famous Greek painter who was a member of the Munich School artistic movement. After World War II the works began for a new building. After relocating the sculptures in the new

National Glyptotheque National Glyptotheque ( el, Εθνική Γλυπτοθήκη) is a sculpture museum located in Athens, Greece. It is an annex of the National Gallery of Greece. The museum was established in 2004 and became the first National Glyptotheque of G ...

, there is a discussion to renovate the main building and to build a new wing.

Directors

* Georgios Iakovidis (1900-1918) *

Zacharias Papantoniou Zacharias Papantoniou ( el, Ζαχαρίας Παπαντωνίου, ''Zacharias Papandoniou'') was a Greek writer. He was born in Karpenissi of Evrytania in February 1877 and died in Athens in 1940. He spent the first years of his life in Gran ...

(1918-1940) * Georgios Stratigos (1940-1944) * Dimitrios Evangelidis (1945-1947) * Nikolaos Bertos (1947-1949) * Marinos Kalligas (1949-1971) * Andreas Ioannou (1971-1972) * Dimitris Papastamos (1972-1989) * Maria Michaelidou (1990-1991) * Marina Lampraki-Plaka (1992-2022) * Syrago Tsiara (2022- present)

Collections

The gallery exhibitions are mainly focused on post-Byzantine

Greek Art Greek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan civilization, and gave birth to Western classical art in the subsequent Geometric, Archaic and Classical periods (with further developments during the Hellenistic Period). It absorbed influences of E ...

. The gallery owns and exhibits also an extensive collection of European artists. Particularly valuable is the collection of paintings from the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

Renaissance

* Joachim Beuckelaer ''Market Scene'' * Jan Brueghel the Younger ''The Virgin in Paradise'' *

Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collaborat ...

* Dürer *

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El ...

''The Concert of the Angels'', ''Christ on the Cross with the Two Maries and St John'', ''Saint Peter'' * Luca Giordano ''Esther and Ahasuerus'' *

Jacob Jordaens Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading ...

''The Adoration of the Shepherds'' *

Zanino di Pietro This is a list of rural localities in Vologda Oblast. Vologda Oblast ( rus, Вологодская область, p=vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Vologodskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center i ...

''Virgin with Child and Angels'' *

Jacopo del Sellaio Jacopo del Sellaio (1441/42–1493), was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active in his native Florence. His real name was Jacopo di Arcangelo. He worked in an eclectic style based on those of Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, and Domenico ...

''Saint Jerome in the desert'' *

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; March 5, 1696 – March 27, 1770), also known as Giambattista (or Gianbattista) Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an import ...

''Eliezer and Rebecca'', ''The Agony in the Garden'' *

Lorenzo Veneziano Lorenzo Veneziano ('Lorenzo the Venetian') (active 1356–1372) was an important painter in Venice during the second half of the 14th century.John Richards. "Lorenzo Veneziano." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 1 ...

''Crucifixion'' *

David Vinckeboons David Vinckboons (baptized 13 August 1576 – c.1632 ) was a Dutch Golden Age painter born in Mechelen, Southern Netherlands. Vinckboons, whose name is often spelled as Vingboons, Vinghboons, Vinckebonis or Vinckboom, had at least ten childr ...

''Wine Harvest''

17th-20th century

* Ivan Aivazovsky ''Burning of the Turkish flagship'' * Pieter Aertsen *

Jacob Beschey Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...

''Moses Drawing Water from the Rock'' *

Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century French painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his alliance with Fauvism from 1905, and the role he play ...

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an importan ...

* Canaletto * Raffaello Ceccoli *

Cecco del Caravaggio Cecco del Caravaggio (active – mid-1620s), is the notname given to a painter who worked in Rome in the early decades of the 17th century and was an important early follower of Caravaggio (1571–1610). In the past art historians have suggest ...

''Youth with musical instruments'' *

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...

''Mounted Greek Warrior'' *

Henri Fantin-Latour Henri Fantin-Latour (14 January 1836 – 25 August 1904) was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers. Biography He was born Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-La ...

''Still Life'' *

Jacques Linard Jacques Linard (1597, Troyes - September 1645, Paris) was a French painter who specialized in still-lifes. Biography Linard was baptised on 6 September 1597. His first records of being of artist was in the 1620s. He was married in 1626 to th ...

''Still Life'' *

Claude Lorrain Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in It ...

Albert Marquet Albert Marquet (27 March 1875 – 14 June 1947) was a French painter, associated with the Fauvist movement. He initially became one of the Fauve painters and a lifelong friend of Henri Matisse. Marquet subsequently painted in a more naturali ...

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prim ...

Willem van Mieris Willem van Mieris (3 June 166226 January 1747) was an 18th-century painter from the Northern Netherlands. Biography Willem van Mieris was a painter, sculptor and etcher active in Leiden. He was born in Leiden and studied under his father Frans ...

''Lady with the Parrot'' *

Piet Mondrian Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (), after 1906 known as Piet Mondrian (, also , ; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is known for being o ...

''Landscape with a mill'' *

Antony Francis van der Meulen Adam Frans van der Meulen or Adam-François van der MeulenAdam Frans van der Meulen
at the

Francesco Pize *

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

''Composition'' *

Piranesi Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi (; also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian Classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheri ...

Francis Picabia Francis Picabia (: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22January 1879 – 30November 1953) was a French avant-garde painter, poet and typographist. After experimenting with Impressionism and Pointillism, Picabia became associated with Cubism ...

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...

''The Feast of the Epiphany'', ''Adoration of the Shepherds'' *

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (), born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955), was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. Born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous pain ...

Greek artists

Ioannis Altamouras Ioannis Altamouras ( Greek: Ιωάννης Αλταμούρας) (1852, in Florence or Naples – 1878, in Spetses) was a Greek painter of the 19th century famous for his paintings of seascapes.George Bouzianis * Leonidas Drosis * Nikos Engonopoulos * Demetrios Farmakopoulos *

Alekos Fassianos Alekos Fassianos ( el, Αλέκος Φασιανός, 13 December 1935 – 16 January 2022) was a Greek painter. Life and career Fassianos was born in Athens in 1935. After graduating from the Athens School of Fine Arts, he moved to Paris, ...

* Lazaros Fytalis * Nikolaus Gysis *

Demetrios Galanis Demetrios Galanis ( el, Δημήτριος Γαλάνης, 17 May 1879, Athens – 20 March 1966, Paris) was an early twentieth-century Greek artist and friend of Picasso. In 1920, the year he completed his ''Seated Nude'' (private collection) ...

Theophilos Hatzimihail Theophilos Chatzimichail ( el, Θεόφιλος Χατζημιχαήλ or Θεόφιλος Κεφαλάς; born c. 1870, Vareia, near Mytilene, island of Lesbos; died in Vareia, Greece, 24 March 1934), known simply as Theophilos, was a Greek fo ...

* Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas * Georgios Jakobides *

Nikos Kessanlis Nikos ( el, Νίκος, ''Níkos'') is a Greek given name. It originates from Greek ''Nikolaos'', which means "victory of the people".Liddell & Scott, Abridged Greek Lexicon Although used as a proper first name, Nikos is also a popular nickname of ...

Ioannis Kossos Ioannis Kossos ( el, Ιωάννης Κόσσος; 1822–1875) was a Greek sculptor of the 19th century. Born in Tripoli, he later studied in Athens and Florence. His work includes several statues and busts in Athens, Patras Patras ( el, Π ...

Nikiphoros Lytras Nikiforos Lytras ( el, Νικηφόρος Λύτρας; 1832 – 13 June 1904) was a Greek painter. He was born in Tinos and trained in Athens at the School of Arts. In 1860, he won a scholarship to Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich. After c ...

* Polychronis Lempesis * Konstantinos Maleas *

Yannis Moralis Yiannis Moralis ( el, Γιάννης Μόραλης; also transliterated Yannis Moralis or Giannis Moralis; 23 April 1916 – 20 December 2009) was an important Greek visual artist and part of the so-called "Generation of the '30s". Life B ...

Dimitris Mytaras Dimitris Mytaras ( el, Δημήτρης Μυταράς; 18 June 1934 – 16 February 2017) was a Greek artist who is considered one of the important Greek painters of the 20th century.

Theocharis Mores Theocharis Mores (, 4 February 1927 – 1992) was a Greek painter. Born in Saint Croix, he was the eldest of five children. Mores started working in the accounts office of the factory in which his father was employed. The owners of this factory he ...

Nikos Nikolaou Nikos Nikolaou ( el, Νίκος Νικολάου) (1909–1986) was a major figure in Greek art during the 20th century. In 1929 Nikolaou was admitted into the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he studied under Konstantinos Parthenis and Umbert ...

* Pericles Pantazis *

Andreas Pavias Andreas Pavias ( el, Ανδρέας Παβίας 1440-1504/1512) was a Greek painter and educator. He was one of the founding fathers of the Cretan School, and his works influenced countless artists both Italian and Greek; paintings by Pavias co ...

Konstantinos Parthenis Konstantinos Parthenis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Παρθένης; 10 May 1878 – 25 July 1967) was a distinguished Greek- Egyptian painter, born in Alexandria. Parthenis broke with the Greek academic tradition of the 19th century and in ...

* Yiannis Psychopedis * Georgios Roilos *

Lucas Samaras Lucas Samaras (born 1936) is a Greek-American artist. Early life and education Samaras was born in Kastoria, Greece. He studied at Rutgers University on a scholarship, where he met Allan Kaprow and George Segal. Career Samaras participated in ...

Theodoros Stamos Theodoros Stamos (Greek: Θεόδωρος Στάμος) (December 31, 1922 – February 2, 1997) was a Greek-American painter. He is one of the youngest painters of the original group of abstract expressionist painters (the so-called " Irasc ...

Panayiotis Tetsis Panayiotis Tetsis (Greek: Παναγιώτης Τέτσης; 1925 – 5 March 2016) was a Greek painter. Tetsis was an exponent of the post-impressionistic seascape tradition. Life and work Born in 1925 on the island of Hydra, where he spent ...

Epameinondas Thomopoulos Epameinondas Thomopoulos (Greek: Επαμεινώνδας Θωμόπουλος, 1878 - January 4, 1976) was a Greek artist who attended the academy and the first Greek impressionist. He studied drawing in Italy. It was his years as professo ...

Yannis Tsarouchis Yannis Tsarouchis ( el, Γιάννης Τσαρούχης; 13 January 1910 – 20 July 1989) was a Greek modernist painter and set designer who achieved international fame, and was "known in particular for his homoerotic subjects," including sold ...

Kostas Tsoklis Kostas or Costas ( el, Κώστας) is a Greek given name and surname. As a given name it is the hypocorism for Konstantinos ( Constantine). Given name * Costas Andreou, Greek musician * Kostas Antetokounmpo (born 1997), a Greek basketball player ...

* Stephanos Tzangarolas *

Theodoros Vryzakis Theodoros Vryzakis ( el, Θεόδωρος Βρυζάκης; 1819–1878) was a Greek painter, known mostly for his historical scenes. He was one of the founders of the "Munich School", composed of Greek artists who had studied in that city. Biog ...

Spyros Vassiliou Spyros Vassiliou (Greek: Σπύρος Βασιλείου; June 16, 1903 – March 22, 1985) was a Greek painter, printmaker, illustrator, and stage designer. He became widely recognized for his work starting in the 1930s, when he received the Bena ...

* Konstantinos Volanakis * Odysseas Phokas

Facts

Approximately four million people have visited the National Gallery in the last fourteen years. Its exhibition activity is mainly supported by sponsorships that cover up to half of its budget. The National Gallery has opened the last years branches in

Nafplion Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in th ...

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

and

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

Visitor information

The gallery is situated on

Vassilissis Sofias Avenue Vasilissis Sofias Avenue () is a major avenue in the east side of Athens, the Greek capital. The avenue was originally part of the Kifisias Avenue. The part from Syntagma Square to the intersection with Alexandras Avenue was renamed after Qu ...

, opposite the Hilton Athens in Pangrati district. It can be reached with the Athens Metro at the Evangelismos station. It had been closed since March 2013 due to expansion works and reopened in March 2021. The

is situated at the "Alsos Stratou" (Military Park) in Goudi, near Kanellopoulou Avenue and can be reached with the Athens Metro at the

Katehaki station Katechaki ( el, Κατεχάκη), also known as Katehaki on signage, is an Athens Metro Line 3 (Blue Line) station, located at Katechaki Avenue and Mesogeion Avenue. Nearby locations include: * The former Ministry of Public Order * 401 Militar ...

Gallery

File:El Greco 03.jpg, '' The Entombment of Christ'' by

File:Pieter Aertsen - Portrait of Simon Marten Dircsz.jpg, '' Portrait of Simon Marten Dircsz'' by Pieter Aertsen Image:Lk06m030.jpg, ''Eliezer and Rebecca'' by Tiepolo Image:Gyzis 006 (Ηistoria).jpeg, ''Ηistoria'' (Allegory of History) by

Nikolaos Gyzis Nikolaos Gyzis ( el, Νικόλαος Γύζης ; german: Nikolaus Gysis; 1 March 1842 – 4 January 1901) was considered one of Greece's most important 19th century painters. He was most famous for his work '' Eros and the Painter'', his first ...

(1892) File:Fytalissepherd.jpg, ''Sepherd with baby goat'' by Lazaros Fytalis Image:Antoine Bourdelle Centaure.jpg, ''Dying Centaur'' by

(1914) File:Penelopedrosis.jpg, ''Penelope'', sculpture by Leonidas Drosis

References

External links

National Gallery of Athens Official website
{{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Greece National museums of Greece Museums in Athens Art museums established in 1878 1878 establishments in Greece