Through the iconic landscapes, vibrant colors, and Aegean light that define Panayiotis Tetsis’ work, visitors can rediscover the poetry of Greek nature and everyday life in a multi-sensory experience.

At the same time, the month’s educational programs, themed tours, and new exhibitions highlight different aspects of artistic expression — from modern storytelling and surrealist poetry to realistic and abstract sculpture. These immersive experiences invite the public to explore works by important Greek and international artists and connect more deeply with art.

National Gallery – Main Building

Ongoing Temporary Exhibitions

Panayiotis Tetsis – The Persistence of Vision
Marking 100 years since his birth, this major retrospective is dedicated to the work of Panayiotis Tetsis — painter, printmaker, teacher, academic, and former President of the National Gallery’s Board and Artistic Committee. He is one of the key figures in postwar Greek painting.

The exhibition focuses not only on his artistic journey but also on his unique “gaze” — how he used light and color to bring his subjects to life through all the senses.

The exhibition begins with scenes of the street market and Hydra, introducing visitors to Tetsis’ world. It then delves into his art through thematic sections. These are not arranged chronologically but instead reveal how he observed and interpreted the world around him, turning it into painting, print, watercolor, or pastel.

Over long periods — sometimes four years or more — he obsessively focused on specific subjects: footballers, gardens, balconies, chairs, shipyards, landscapes of Sifnos and Hydra, boats, seas, portraits of friends, still lifes, pine trees, and Hydra’s rocks. These series often include a mix of media, such as ink, prints, and watercolors, allowing him to explore different artistic viewpoints.

The exhibition features 160 works, mostly paintings, prints, pastels, and watercolors. Most are from the National Gallery’s collection, donated by the artist between 1997 and 2015. Sixty-four works come from private or institutional collections. The aim is to showcase his “obsessive” gaze and reveal lesser-known sides of his artistic technique.

Curator-led tours: Wednesday, July 2 & 16 at 18:00 (No reservation required)
Location: Main Gallery Building, Exhibition entrance (Level -2)
Curator: Efi Agathonikou
Duration: April – October 2025

Other Ongoing Exhibitions

• Francisco Goya – Los Caprichos (Permanent Collection)
• The Allure of the Strange (Intermediate Space)
• Paper Images – The Origins of Greek Printmaking
• Efi Strouza: A New Journey – ISET Archive

New Exhibition

The Farm
In modern Greek sculpture, the human figure dominates. Animal figures are less common and often appear occasionally in artists’ work. Some sculptors created representations of pets, birds, or animals of the Greek countryside or from their travels.

The National Gallery’s sculpture collection includes such works by Polygnotos Vagis, Thanassis Apartis, Bella Raftopoulou, Christos Kapralos, Euripides Vavouris, Antonis Karachalios, Kostas Karachalios, Natalia Mela, Yiannis Antoniadis, and Nikolas Dogoulis. Among them, only Frosso Efthymiadi-Menegaki worked extensively on animal forms.

The pieces selected for The Farm are suitable for outdoor display. Created between the 1940s and 1970s, these sculptures — of domestic and wild animals and birds — form a playful and imaginative visual setting. Whether realistic or abstract, the figures invite interaction with children and adults in the sculpture park.

Location: National Glyptotheque – Gallery Annex
Opening: Wednesday, July 16
Curator: Tonia Giannoudaki

Educational Programs for Families

Modern Mythologies: In the World of Hans Arp
What are mythical creatures like the Plant Trunk, Siren, and Chimera doing in the studio of Hans Arp, sculptor, painter, and poet? In July, the children’s workshop bids farewell to one of the 21 donated sculptures by the Arp Foundation.

Inspired by Arp’s interest in ancient Greek culture — sparked by his travels to Greece in the 1950s — the program revisits mythological beings and enriches ancient stories with new meanings. Focusing on his connection to Parisian Surrealism, children create their own poems and hybrid creatures using the surrealist game Cadavre Exquis.

Date: Saturday, July 5, at 12:00
Location: Main Gallery – Permanent Collection
Curators: Artemis Zervou & Christina Botsou
Facilitator: Christina Botsou
Reservations: edu.episkepseis@nationalgallery.gr
Cost: €8
Age: 7–12 (parent must accompany)

Thematic Tours – Main Building

Discovering Panayiotis Tetsis
Join a themed tour through the retrospective Panayiotis Tetsis: The Persistence of Vision. From the vivid street market of Xenokratous Street to the shaded pine trees of Hydra, journey through Greece and beyond via the painter’s unique lens.

Date: Saturday, July 12, at 12:00
Location: Main Gallery – Permanent Collection
Guide: Marina Tomazani, Art Historian & Curator
Reservations: edu.episkepseis@nationalgallery.gr

Gallery Annex – Nafplio

Water and Dreams: A Night at the Museum
Where do dreams go when we wake up? In this nighttime sleepover at the Nafplio Annex of the National Gallery, children dive into a world of dreams through the retrospective Freedom by Maria Filopoulou.

Inspired by Gaston Bachelard’s Water and Dreams, children explore the poetic world of water, paint their own watercolors, and enter a realm where dreams continue — even after waking.

Date: Saturday, July 12, at 20:00
Organizers: Lambrini Karakourti & Christina Botsou
Reservations: labrinikarakourti@nationalgallery.gr
Age: 6–12