TRAVEL TIPS
Discover Fotis Kontoglou through 2 exhibitions
One of the principal representatives of the so-called ’30s-generation of Greek writers, a versatile author and literary figure, but also an important painter and hagiographer, Fotis Kontoglou devoted his life to the arts. On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his death, two museums in
Athens host exhibitions that offer an excellent opportunity for an artistic walk around the city, as they are located within walking distance of each other. The exhibition at the
Byzantine Museum will continue until the 8th of May: it’s a retrospective, presenting not only his work - both secular and religious - as a painter but also shedding light, for the first time, on his personality as a writer, critic, researcher of Byzantine colors and preserver. The course of his life revives with more than 150 works and 100 records: from Aivali in Asia Minor, where he was born, to Paris and Athens, where he lived until the end of his life.
The exhibition at the “Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika Gallery”, a permanent annex of the
Benaki Museum, will last until the 20th of February. Its purpose is to highlight Kontoglou’s writing work and present the illustrations he created both for the books he wrote or translated and for books by other authors. Manuscripts, sketches, and drawings, both published and unpublished until now are also on display. Also, note that the Byzantine Museum features a very cozy café-resto, whereas the N. Hadjikyriakos-Ghika Gallery is adjacent to the beautiful shop of the Benaki Museum, where you can find many design gifts.