Kolonaki
With over 20 galleries big and small scattered around the slopes of Mount Lycabettus, Kolonaki is Athens’ art HQ. There’s something to see (and buy) for every taste. Keep an eye on the smaller and younger spaces; they’re great for scouting promising new talent.
CAN Christina Androulidaki Gallery
Founded in 2012 by art historian and curator Christina Androulidaki, CAN Gallery is among the younger breed of galleries in Athens that focus on new talent and fresh ideas, as well as fostering close relationships with the artists they represent. Discover a mix of contemporary photography, painting and mixed media by rising stars like Petros Efstathiadis and Manolis Daskalakis-Lemos. The gallery also has a soft spot for artists working with paper.
The Pawnshop exhibition by Maria Kriara.
Courtesy: Christina Androulidaki Gallery
Release the Kraken exhibition by Antonakis Christodoulou.
Courtesy: Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery
Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery
Eleftheria Tseliou's gallery is a bit of a speakeasy: it doesn't have a website, and it occupies an unassuming apartment on Irodotou Street. Passers-by will definitely miss it, but visitors in the know will ring the doorbell, climb the stairs to the lobby, and ring again. You’ll be greeted by the gallerist herself and rewarded with a careful edit of contemporary art, spanning several generations of talented Greek artists. Eleftheria Tseliou has run this Kolonaki gallery since 2013, and has a keen eye for young and old artists who produce cutting-edge work using traditional media—like painting, drawing and clay—in new ways.
Kalfayan Gallery
For almost a century, the Armenian Kalfayan family has collected artefacts of Armenian culture, to preserve and document its traditions. Since 1995, they’ve also taken to exhibiting contemporary art, first with a gallery in Thessaloniki and then at this one in Kolonaki. The gallery represents some of the most important contemporary Greek artists, including the estates of historical figures of 20th century Greek art. It also showcases younger talent, both in its galleries and at art fairs internationally. The Kolonaki gallery is shaped like a big glass box, and always has something worth seeing.
Alexis Akrithakis exhibition.
Courtesy: Kalfayan Gallery
Courtesy: Zoumboulakis Gallery
Zoumboulakis Gallery
The Zoumboulakis Gallery has represented some of the biggest names in Greek art for over 50 years. Back in the day, the gallery would exhibit stellar names like Dali, Magritte and Picasso, and collaborated with the Alexandre Iolas Gallery in New York. Its main space, right on Kolonaki Square, opened in the early 1970s, and championed Greek artists of the time such as Takis and Chryssa. Current director Daphne Zoumboulakis continues the family quest to promote noteworthy Greek art and help promising younger artists grow their reputation. The gallery also operates a fantastic design and antiques shop just off Syntagma Square.
More to see in Kolonaki: Nitra Gallery, Elika Gallery, Athens Art Gallery, Genesis Gallery, Alma Gallery, Evripides Gallery, Skoufa Gallery.
Syntagma
The area between Kolonaki and Syntagma Square mixes state affairs, embassies, museums and high-profile law firms. The galleries here are more than dressed for the part.
Allouche Benias Gallery
This is the Athenian sibling of Allouche Gallery in New York. One of the most recent arrivals on the Athenian gallery scene, Allouche Benias opened its doors near Syntagma Square in June 2018 with a group show of four American artists. Since then, the gallery has established a programme directly influenced by pop-art and street-art, which is in direct dialogue with current developments in American and Greek painting. Even if contemporary painting is not high on your agenda, the stately mansion on the corner of Akadimias and Kanari Streets is reason enough to visit.
Vassilis H. | Blue Shadows and a couple of Oranges.
Courtesy: Allouche Benias Gallery
Courtesy: Ekfrasi-Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery
Ekfrasi-Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery
Valaoritou Street is probably not on your list of famous Athenian streets. But walk past the chic boutiques and cafés and enter a small cul-de-sac to discover Ekfrasi-Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery. Founded in 1983, the gallery is run by Yianna Grammatopoulou, an influential figure among Greek gallerists. On the programme you'll find mostly established and historical Greek artists working in sculpture, installation and painting. A good place to discover some great examples of late 20th century Greek art.
More to see in Syntagma: Ikastikos Kiklos DL, Aetopoulos Athens.
Thissio & Petralona
Low-rise buildings and slow traffic make the urban neighbourhoods of Thissio and Petralona ideal for walks and outings. The galleries here are part of the old guard, but never run out of fresh ideas.
Bernier Eliades Gallery
One of the most established contemporary art galleries in town. After opening its first space in Kolonaki in 1977, the Bernier Eliades gallery moved to its present location in Thissio in 1999, and then opened a second space in Brussels in 2016. Owners Jean Bernier and Marina Eliades have been instrumental in introducing international art currents to Greece, including the Arte Povera movement, minimalism, land art and conceptual art.
Gilbert & George / General view of the exhibition: “The Beard Pictures" / 2018.
Courtesy: Bernier Eliades Gallery. Photo by Boris Kirpotin.
Night Flight, by Lito Kattou.
Courtesy: Eleni Koroneou Gallery
Eleni Koroneou Gallery
Gallerist Eleni Koroneou first opened an artspace in 1989 with a strong focus on European and American artists like Martin Kippenberger, Christopher Wool, Michael Schmidt, Michel Majerus, and Helmut Middendorf. Twenty years later, in 2009, her daughter Alexandra Oikonomou joined the gallery and they opened their new space in Petralona. Specialising in contemporary painting and always maintaining a strong international profile, Eleni Koroneou Gallery represents established painters from abroad, but also supports local emerging talent like Eirene Efstathiou and Lito Kattou.
Monastiraki & Psirri
There's contemporary art even in Athens’ most touristy area, Monastiraki, if you know where to look.
AD Gallery
Pallados Street is a small alley that connects Psirri Square with Athinas Street (it’s a huge hit with Instagrammers because of the extravagant displays of the basket shops there). Hidden among the piles of baskets and plastic flower bouquets, you'll find Pallados 5—the entrance to AD Gallery. Enter the unassuming corridor and two flights up you'll access a small but well-lit space that spans two storeys. The gallery hosts a medley of Greek and foreign artists with a focus on painting and drawing.
Exhibition view of the show “Transcendental Geometry” / 2014-2015.
Courtesy: AD Gallery. Photo by Nikos Markou.
More to see in Monastiraki: a.antonopoulou.art Gallery, TAF The Art Foundation, Martinos Art Shop, Kappatos Gallery.
Metaxourgio & Keramikos
The plan to posh-up Keramikos and Metaxourgio back in the Noughties didn't quite stick, but the edgy galleries that relocated here as part of that movement have stayed.
The Breeder
One of the biggest players on the local gallery scene, The Breeder Gallery is known for its tongue-in-cheek aesthetic that often embraces pop culture and new media. Its impressively restored building is an attraction in its own right, with several storeys of exhibition spaces, an imposing front door and interesting concrete steps and ramps throughout. As for the art, it's strongly conceptual but seldom academic, with a distinctly colourful aesthetic veering towards abstraction, as seen in the work of Jannis Varelas, Alexandros Vasmoulakis, Sofia Stevi and others.
Mathilde Rosier / Thinking Like Another Earthy Life Form / Installation view / 2018.
Courtesy: The Breeder Gallery
Konstantin Kakanias, 2018 / That's Mine Bitch. Don't Touch. Back Off.
Courtesy: Rebecca Camhi Gallery
Rebecca Camhi Gallery
Gallerist Rebecca Camhi has been running her art space continuously since 1995—first from a bright penthouse with an Acropolis view near Omonia, then from its current location inside a neoclassical townhouse surrounded by Metaxourgio grit. The gallery has collaborated with many international artists including Nan Goldin and Nobuyoshi Araki, as well as many local names like the whimsical painter Konstantin Kakanias and visual artist DeAnna Maganias. The gallery organises exhibitions throughout the year and also participates in art fairs.
More to see in Metaxourgio: We Are Bud project space, Athens Municipal Gallery, ATOPOS CVC, Vamiali's Gallery.
Ambelokipi
A short walk from Kolonaki and the Athens Concert Hall, the northern slopes of Mount Lycabettus are worth exploring if you'd prefer to veer off the tourist path.
Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Centre
This two-storey gallery space is perhaps the city's largest private gallery. Boasting extremely high ceilings and a combined floor space of 300 sq. meters, the former industrial building is preferred by artists for whom size matters. Founded in 1988, the gallery has been instrumental in promoting the work of mid-20th century Greek artists living and working abroad. In addition to well-curated exhibitions that catch the pulse of a younger generation of artists, the gallery also operates a really good restaurant and art shop.
Courtesy: Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Centre
Art adventures in the Athens suburbs
Venture beyond the city centre to discover these gallery gems that are well worth your time.
Dio Horia Contemporary Art Platform
Founded in 2015 as a platform for contemporary art on Mykonos, Dio Horia is based both in Athens and on the windswept Cycladic island. When it's not making colourful noise with high-calibre exhibitions in Mykonos town, the gallery organises exhibitions at various venues in Athens. Plans are afoot for a second space in the capital in late 2019. Exhibitions include solo and group shows with emerging artists from the periphery, including Greece, the Balkans and Latin America. The gallery's residency programme has brought foreign artists closer to contemporary Greek culture.
Liliane Lijn / Cosmic Dramas, installation view / 2018.
Courtesy: Rodeo Gallery. Photo by Boris Kirpotin.
Rodeo Gallery
One of the most recent additions to the Athenian gallery scene, Rodeo Gallery is the younger sister to the successful Soho (London) gallery with the same name. Run by Greek gallerist Sylvia Kouvali, it’s only a short walk from the port of Piraeus. The gallery's beautiful stone-built hall once housed a garage. It has been thoughtfully refurbished with minimum impact on the original building and its impressive wooden ceiling. Alongside well-researched exhibitions of hand-picked foreign artists, Rodeo Gallery also represents local artists like Apostolos Georgiou and Eftihis Patsourakis.
More outside the city centre: Depo Darm Contemporary Art Space, The Blender Gallery.