CULTURE

A brief history of the visual arts

Some 175 major works, selected in such a way so as to represent all the major artistic movements of the past century, are currently on display at the City of Athens Municipal Gallery?s new premises on Metaxourgeio?s Avdi Square.

This is the second part of the world premiere of an exhibition stemming from the Economou Collection that aims to explore modern art in its entirety by juxtaposing the paintings, engravings and sculptures by leading 20th century names alongside works by lesser-known artists.

This historical journey into the visual arts begins with the birth of surrealism and the legendary Parisian school ? whose leading representatives include Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso ? all the way to expressionism?s comeback in the 1960s and the 1980s.

Besides established names such as Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter and Henri Rousseau, the second part of the exhibition dedicated to the Economou collection includes a number of noteworthy artists who are not particularly known in this country, among them Mexican Horacio Rocha and Austrian Walter Navratil, the latter of which was the son of psychiatrists and had been greatly influenced by the creativity of mentally ill patients. The collection also includes works by Greek artists, such as Thanasis Tsingos and Theodoros Stamos.

The show, curated by municipal gallery director Nelly Kyriazi runs at the downtown venue through October 2.

The Municipal Gallery of Athens (32 Myllerou, Avdi Square, tel 210.323.1841) is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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