Piraeus Municipal Art Gallery, Piraeus

The Municipality of Piraeus began to acquire paintings, mainly through purchases, as early as the mid-19th century. In 1869, it acquired the portrait of Konstantinos Ionidis, by painter Andreas Kriezis, and in 1886 the masterpiece "The Port of Piraeus", by painter Konstantinos Volanakis, who at that time was living and working in Piraeus. Initially, purchases of paintings by the Municipality were limited, apart from portraits of kings, to portraits of the incumbent mayors of Piraeus, which were displayed in the Municipal Council Chamber. The existence of a Municipal Gallery is mentioned for the first time in July 1945, in the minutes of the Municipal Council, in which a credit of 20,000 drachmas for the Municipal Gallery was approved. Several years later, in 1985, the Department of Galleries and Museums was created, which was housed successively: on the ground floor and the seventh floor of the Town Hall on Korai Square, in a wing of the Municipal Theatre, in the municipal building on Kantharou Street, to finally find a permanent home, in 2004, in the neoclassical building of the Old Post Office, built in 1902 and located at the junction of 29 Filonos Street - Karaoli and Demetriou 14 Street. The Municipal Gallery hosts periodic exhibitions with works by contemporary artists, book presentations, music evenings, lectures, etc., while it also organizes educational programs for all levels of education, guided tours of its collections and lectures on Art, throughout the year.

Opened in 1957, the Piraeus Municipal Gallery features theatrical costumes, photographs, programmes, and other theatrical material. While its permanent home at the Old Post Office is currently being restored, the gallery is temporarily housed at the Piraeus Municipal Theatre. The collection includes a major representation of the sculpture of G. Kastriotis, an extensive collection of folk art by St. Lazarou and personal effects donated by Greek actor Manos Katrakis. A special area is reserved for the works of Nikiforos Lytras, M. Axelos, P. Vizantios, K. Volanakis, G. Geralis and other artists from Piraeus.

The Municipal Gallery of Piraeus was established in 1957 and is housed in the renovated building of the old post office of Piraeus. Its rich collection of more than 800 works of art includes paintings of significant Greek painters and many young artists; sculptures, costume designs, theatrical costumes, oil paintings, art made on wood, sea pebbles and more. On the first floor, visitors may admire a small collection of paintings made by famous modern Greek painters such as Nikiforos Lytras, Konstantinos Maleas, Konstantinos Romanidis and Alexandros Christofis to name a few. Additionally, a part of Georgios Kastriotis's sculpture collection and set designer's Panos Arvantinos collection are also exhibited on the first floor.

The Municipal Gallery of Piraeus was inaugurated in 1957 and began to function as a section of the Municipal Library in the building of the Municipal Theatre. In 1985 it became an independent department and included 837 works, among which works by M. Axelos, K. Volanakis, P. Vyzantiou, A. Geralis, E. Doukas, D. Kokotsis, Th. Lazaris, N. Lytras, K. Maleas, M. Ekonomou, K. Romanides, A. Christofis, as well as works by many notable younger artists, among whom a special place is reserved for a considerable number of artists from Piraeus. Also in the Municipal Gallery is the collection of 80 sculptures by George Kastriotis, a collection of 156 works by the popular artist St. Lazaros, as well as the collection donated by the famous Greek actor Manos Katrakis (theatrical costumes, photographs and theatrical material, personal belongings, etc.). ***PH***