National Gallery of Athens, National art gallery in Kolonaki district, Greece
The National Gallery of Athens is an art museum in Kolonaki displaying around 16,000 artworks from the Byzantine period to today. The works are arranged across different levels to show various periods and subjects in both chronological and thematic order.
The museum was founded in 1878 when the first collection of roughly 117 works was housed at Athens University. The institution grew considerably after Alexandros Soutzos left his large private art collection to it in 1896.
The collection features Greek artists alongside European works, with each gallery showing a different chapter of the country's artistic development. You see how painting and sculpture changed over time, with various styles displayed side by side.
The building is relatively easy to navigate with modern signage to help you find your way between galleries. Most areas are accessible, and guided tours in various languages are available to help you understand the collections.
The museum runs three satellite locations in Nafplio, Sparta, and Corfu, spreading its collection across different regions of Greece. These branch locations allow more people in various parts of the country to see the artworks.
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