Works and Days

1. Physical remodelling, mechanical refurbishment and museological renovation of the National Gallery – Alexandros Souszos Museum
2. New permanent display in the museum’s renovated premises (inaugurated 11 December 2000). Funded by national resources, the 2nd CSF and the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation
3. Expansion and modernisation of the building facilities
4. Furnishing the conservation laboratory with advanced technology systems in collaboration with the Foundation for Research and Technology, University of Crete, with support from EU programmes

Under Director Marina Lambraki-Plaka the annexes of Corfu, Nafplion, Aegina (Kapralos Museum) and the National Glyptotheque have been inaugurated, while the renovation of the Koumantarios Gallery in Sparta has begun and is in progress

•  Corfu Annexe 
•  Nafplion Annexe 
•  National Glyptotheque, Army Park, Goudi 
•  Kapralos Museum – Aegina Annexe 
• Koumantarios Gallery, Sparta 

 1. Ongoing collaboration with the Evripidis Koutlidis Foundation

The Euripides Koutlidis Foundation and Collection are jointly housed and operate together with the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum, following an agreement ratified by the Athens Court of Appeal. Artworks in the Koutlidis Collection are on display in the permanent display of the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum Collections.

2. Merger of the Christos & Souli Kapralos Foundation

After the merger of the Christos & Souli Kapralos Foundation with the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum, the foundation’s estate became part of the National Gallery. It comprises some 5,000 works by Christos Kapralos: sculptures in wood, bronze, marble, stone, paintings, microsculptures, terracottas, drawings, pottery, and more. The sculptor’s studio on Aegina also came into the National Gallery, and today serves as the museum’s annexe; similarly, an adjacent plot of land will host the new Christos Kapralos Museum. The studies were performed by architects George Parmenides, Professor, NTUA, and Christine Longuépée. The project is funded by the Attica Region and is currently in the bidding stage.

Under Director Marina Lambraki-Plaka, education programmes by the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum and Annexes were introduced, aimed at children, school groups and adults.

Within the framework of Information Society and Digital Convergence EU Operational Programmes, the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum and the Friends of the National Gallery received funding to implement the project that ushered the museum into the digital age. Thanks to this project, the National Gallery acquired an integrated digital management system for its Collections.

Purchases and Donations

In recent years, some 3,000 works have been acquired by the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum, including Saint Peter and The Burial of Christ, two paintings by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, whose acquisition was made possible by a nation-wide fundraising campaign and sponsorship; newly acquired sculptures include Auguste Rodin’s Walking Man on a Column, donated by the National Bank of Greece, and Antoine Bourdelle’s Head of Apollo. Acquisitions that enrich the National Gallery’s Collections have also been made with support by Alpha Bank and the Antonios Komninos Foundation. The National Gallery has received substantial donations from a number of artists and foundations, including Joannis Avramidis, Panagiotis Tetsis, Nikos & Angela Nikolaou Foundation, Dimitris Mytaras, Alekos Fassianos, Daniel, Jason Molfessis, Fernando Botéro, Theodoros (Papagiannis), Theodoros (Papadimitriou), Pavlos and Santiago Calatrava. Donations have also been made by many private individuals.

Estates and Tax

• The Frosso Efthymiadi-Menegaki Estate, comprising the artist’s body of sculpture, as well as her house in Galatsi, Athens, designed by pre-eminent Greek architect Dimitris Pikionis, where the sculptress’s museum will be housed. Renovation is now complete, and the building is being prepared for opening. The estate comes with revenue to cover the museum’s maintenance.
• The Bella Raftopoulou Estate. The sculptress’s residence, which is intended to house a museum of her works, has been restored.
• Sixteen paintings by Konstantinos Parthenis were acquired as estate tax.

Under Director Marina Lambraki-Plaka, many temporary exhibitions were organised in Greece and other countries, increasing the museum’s visibility and fostering collaboration with international museums. These exhibitions brought more than 5.5 million visitors to the National Gallery. More than 70 per cent of the National Gallery’s activities and exhibitions budget was secured by sponsorship.