5 Movements That Have Shaped Modern Greek Art

You’re probably familiar with ancient Greek art, sculpture and architecture. Often referred to as the "Cradle of Western Civilization", Greece excelled at all arts, as well as literature, philosophy, mathematics, science and technology.

In 1821, Greece secured its independence from the Ottoman Empire, which meant that Greek artists could travel with ease throughout Europe, beginning a process of artistic cross-fertilization.
Let's take a look at some of the milestones in Modern and Contemporary art in Greece.

In the 19th century, the Romantic style swept through European painting and literature. In Greece, many artists were fascinated by this movement and traveled abroad to immerse themselves in Romanticism.

But how did Greek art develop through the centuries? In a nation famed for its achievements in Antiquity, what does modern art look like? And how did modern European and Hellenic art influence one another?

The Munich School was an Academy in Germany and an art movement in Greece. Many Greek artists studied in Bavaria, and  learned the technique and style of the Munich School – some stayed there while others went back to Athens.

For example, Nikolaos Gyzis (1842 - 1901), born on the island of Thinos, moved to Germany and even became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich.

By the turn of the century, artists across the continent had begun to experiment with color in a new and vibrant style. In Greece, many artists traveled to Paris and brought back a wave of Post-Impressionism to the Peloponnese.

Kostantinos Maleas (1879 - 1928) was among them: influenced by the work of Gauguin, Cézanne and Van Gogh, he brought new light and colors to the Greek tradition of landscape painting.

The Generation of the 30s were deeply connected to modern literature and looked to move away from traditional and religious themes and motifs. Abstractism and Surrealism started to take over with the work of Yannis Tsarouchis, Yannis Moralis, Spyros Vassiliou and Ghikas.

Moralis (1916 - 2009) is probably the most notable example of the change that happened during 20th century, as he stopped pursuing realistic depictions and portraits to switch to a fully abstract, geometrical type of painting.

A disciple of Moralis, Alekos Fassianos (1935 - 2022) places the human figure at the center of his work. Intense blues, reds and yellows dominate his paintings, with curved lines and a look back at Byzantine figures.

Chryssa (1933 - 2013) became a pioneer of light sculpture in the US and later in Greece, exploring different materials in her work, such as neon, steel, aluminum and acrylic glass.

Stephen Antonakos (1926 - 2013) was also known for his neon light works and public installations. He intended his artworks to be "real things in real spaces", to be experienced in their immediate environment.