Christmas at Our National Gallery

From 05.12.2022 to 06.01.2023

See the programme of events

The National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum opens its doors to the public for Christmas in the Athens facilities and the Annexes, inviting everyone to festive guided tours and events. A wealth of fun events for all is on offer in our National Gallery this Christmas. Everyone has the opportunity to join in the festive fun, enjoying thematic guided tours, innovative educational programmes, bazaars and more.

In the National Gallery in Athens, a special programme, organised in collaboration with the Hellenic Broadcasting Radio, awaits visitors and listeners on Thursday 22 December. ERT contributes to the National Gallery’s Christmas events with its three music radios, the Second Programme 103.7, Third Programme 90.9 and Kosmos 93.6, and their producers, who will be broadcasting live for six hours from the National Gallery’s foyer, spreading the festive cheer.

And there’s more – the Christmas educational programmes Adoration of the Shepherds and The Nativity invite families with children aged 3 to 12 on guided tours for young and old alike to fill their hearts with the Christmas spirit captured in paintings by some of the greatest artists; moreover, the educational programme Meeting with Pablo invites children to explore the fascinating universe of Pablo Picasso.

Counting down to Christmas Day, the themed guided tours continue with a journey through time to explore Religious Painting in the Antonis Komninos Temporary Exhibition Room and the Permanent Collection Rooms. From Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) and his Concert of the Angels (1608–1614), a masterpiece celebrating the joyful message of the birth of Christ, to contemporary artist Stephen Antonakos and his White Iconostasis (2003), together we will explore how great artists celebrated each in their own unique way the Nativity, the Magi and the magic of Christmas, and see how materials and styles have changed over the centuries.

Throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays, there will be a large bazaar with publications old and new at discounts up to 70% at the National Gallery Museum Shop. The bazaar is a great opportunity to purchase inspired Christmas presents, sharing the cultural treasures of the National Gallery with all your loved ones.

However, the National Gallery’s activity reaches all of Greece, through original programmes awaiting visitors to our Annexes. Making art an integral part of everyday life for all, the Friends and Neighbours programme is already underway at the Coumantaros Art Gallery in Sparta, starting off by inviting the local hairdresser and barber businesses to guided tours of the Gallery; moreover, the educational programme In Search of Christmas, organised in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia, welcomes our young friends on 12–22 December. In this interactive programme, children will discover the symbols and music of Christmas through artworks in the National Gallery – from ancient and neoclassical art through the angelic figures in Byzantine sacred art to modern art.

The Nafplio Annexe, in collaboration with the artist Marina Bobou, hosts festive educational programmes for primary and secondary school students on 17 and 18 December. Aimed at children aged 9–12, the December 17 event involves designing Christmas ornaments using interactive methods; on December 18, children aged 13–15 will be inspired by Pavlos Dionysopoulos’s environment art to create decorations using everyday materials. Also at the Nafplio Annexe, from 10 to 30 December there will be a book bazaar where the Annexe’s publications will be on sale at 50% discount.

The National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum is a vibrant, multifaceted organisation in ongoing, meaningful interaction with society. These holidays, whether you find yourselves in Athens, Sparta or Nafplio, please join us in celebrating Christmas together at #OurNationalGallery!