On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Bank of Greece, the Centre for Culture, Research and Documentation of the Bank presents an exhibition of 160 artworks by notable Greek artists, selected from its Collection. The Bank’s Collection comprises nearly 3,000 pieces, mostly figurative paintings and prints (in addition to a small number of sculptures) from the mid-19th century to this day, which highlight various aspects of modern Greek art.

Structured around the main themes that have been and, to this day, remain sources of inspiration for lasting ideas in modern Greek art, the exhibition unfolds along three broad narrative lines: antiquity, everyday life and the landscape, all central axes in modern Greek art.

A common thread through this exhibition is the Greek artists’ long-lasting interest in these themes, which have served as frames of reference for their creative expression, the development of their personal artistic idiom and – often –  the highlighting of the notion of ‘Greekness’.

The works on display lend themselves to multi-layered readings, fruitful comparisons and interpretationsof the ways each theme has advanced changing intentions and objectives – artistic, ideological, social – bringing forward respective ideas to Greek society during each era. In this light, the Collection itself can be approached as a ‘frame of reference’ for a body of artworks that attempts to unveil and, over time, articulate various facets of Greek cultural identity.