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Εθνική Πινακοθήκη | |
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| Established | 1878 (1878) |
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| Location | Pangrati,Athens, Greece |
| Coordinates | 37°58′32″N23°44′57″E / 37.97556°N 23.74917°E /37.97556; 23.74917 |
| Type | art museum |
| Director | Syrago Tsiara |
| Website | www |
TheNational Gallery (Greek:Εθνική Πινακοθήκη,Ethniki Pinakothiki) is anart museum located on Vasilissis Sofias avenue in thePangrati 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,[1] a day before the 200th anniversary of theGreek War of Independence.[2]
It was established in 1878 as a small collection of 117 works exhibited at theAthens University. In 1896,Alexandros Soutzos, a jurist and art lover, bequeathed his collection and estate to theGreek Government aspiring to the creation of an art museum. The museum opened in 1900 and the first curator wasGeorgios Jakobides, a famous Greek painter who was a member of theMunich School artistic movement. After World War II the works began for a new building. After relocating the sculptures in the newNational Glyptotheque, there was a discussion to renovate the main building and to build a new wing,[3] which was completed in 2021.
In 2025, an exhibition at the gallery titled "The Allure of the Bizarre" was attacked byNiki MP Nikolaos Papadopoulos and a companion who threw four paintings to the floor and broke their glass frames, saying that the paintings were offensive to Orthodox Christianity. The two were briefly detained.[4]
The gallery exhibitions are mainly focused onpost-ByzantineGreek Art. The gallery owns and exhibits also an extensive collection of European artists. Particularly valuable is the collection of paintings from theRenaissance.[citation needed]
Approximately four million people have visited the National Gallery in the last 14 years. Its exhibition activity is mainly supported by sponsorships that cover up to half of its budget.The National Gallery has opened branches inNafplion,Sparta andCorfu.[5]
The gallery is situated onVassilissis Sofias Avenue, opposite theHilton Athens inPangrati district. It can be reached with theAthens Metro at theEvangelismos station. It had been closed since March 2013 due to expansion works[6] and reopened in March 2021. TheNational Glyptotheque is situated at the "Alsos Stratou" (Military Park) inGoudi, near Kanellopoulou Avenue and can be reached with theAthens Metro at theKatehaki station.
