Municipal Art Gallery, Art museum in Thessaloniki, Greece
The Municipal Art Gallery operates from three buildings, with Villa Bianca serving as its main location, an eclectic-style mansion situated on Vassilissis Olgas Avenue. The collection holds over 1,000 artworks organized into sections covering local artists, modern Greek prints, Byzantine icons, and sculptures.
The gallery was founded in 1966 as an extension of the Municipal Library and initially operated from Villa Mordoch before relocating. In 2013, it moved to its current home in Villa Bianca, where it has continued to display its extensive collection.
The gallery's name comes from its municipal ownership, not from a person. Its Thessalonian Artists Collection is arranged in three generations: 1898–1922, 1923–40 and 1941–67. The Byzantine and Postbyzantine icon collection spans six centuries, from the 14th to the 19th.
The main building, Casa Bianca, stands at the corner of Vassilissis Olgas 180 and Themistoklis Sofouli streets. Temporary exhibitions also take place at the Alatza Imaret and the Yeni Cami, the former Archaeological Museum. Guided tours are offered for groups and must be booked in advance.
In 1999 the gallery hosted Greece's first exhibition of family-owned works by artist Nikolaos Gyzis, featuring drawings and paintings created during his travels abroad. This landmark show brought lesser-known pieces to public view for the first time.
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