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Greece Museums
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National Gallery - Alexandros Soutzos Museum
17-06-2014 10:13The National Gallery-Alexandros Soutzos Museum houses an extensive collection of paintings of both Greek and European artists, among them being three paintings of the notable El Greco. It is located on the corner of Kifissias and Michalakopoulou street right across of the Hilton Hotel and in short distance from the Evaggelismos metro station.
Since the first years of the independent Greek state, the Greeks have desired to see a renaissance of the arts in what has been their ancient cradle. In 1878, the first nucleus of the Gallery, comprising 117 works by Greek and European artists, mainly envisaged as an educational annex to the School of Arts, was established in the Technical University of Athens and opened for the public.
In 1896, Alexandros Soutzos, a jurist and art lover, bequeathed his collection and estate to the Greek State aspiring to the creation of a “Museum of Fine Arts”. The National Gallery eventually came into being in 1900. The National Gallery was initially housed in a small room in the main building of the National Technical University in Athens. It remained there until 1939, when the War broke out.
Substantial donations by Greek patriots as well as acquisitions continued to enrich the museum collections. The National Gallery merging, in 1954, with the Alexandros Soutzos Estate was a decisive step in the museum’s development. Nevertheless, the National Gallery essentially remained a nomad until 1976, when the current building, designed by the architects and professors Pavlos Mylonas and Dimitris Fatouros, which began to be built in 1964, was completed and inaugurated.
The National Gallery has three original masterpieces by El Greco: “the Burial of Christ” one of the most characteristic works from the Venetian period of the artist, “Saint Peter” as well as the “Concert of the Angels”. There are also paintings of Delacroix, Greek painters of the Orientalism such as Nikephoros Lytras and Nikolaos Gysis and sculptures of Rodin. Major donations, including those by Giannis Moralis, Nikos Nikolaou, Ioannis Avramidis, Panagiotis Tetsis, Dimitris Mytaras, Alekos Fassianos have enriched the museum’s collections.
Housing the history of Modern Greek sculpture, as well as temporary exhibitions, since 2004 at Alsos Stratou in Goudi, Athens, the National Glyptotheque has also been founded.
Aiming to expand its educational role and activity throughout Greece, the National Gallery-Alexandros Soutzos Museum has added two annexes to the existing Koumantareios Gallery in Sparta, one in Corfu in 1993 and one in Nafplion in 2004.
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