The Municipal Gallery of Athens, which belongs to OPANDA, was founded in 1914 with the painter Stavros Papapanagiotou as its first curator.
From 1923, the Gallery’s collection gradually developed into a more object-based assemblage, while in the 1930s -1940s, it was enriched with paintings purchased from national exhibitions and private art galleries. After the war, Spyros Papaloukas, who served as Curator and Head of the Gallery until he died in 1957, grew the collections further.
Today, its collections include more than 3.100 paintings, prints and sculptures, thanks to purchases and donations.
The historical and intellectual identity of the collection was shaped by the artistic and social history of modern Greece. Besides its permanent exhibition, the Gallery organises solo and group periodic ones in collaboration with other cultural institutions.
Its educational programs for all academic levels are integral to its exhibition program.
Municipal Gallery of Athens, Metaxourgioio building
The building of the Municipal Gallery of Athens in Metaxourgio is one of the oldest neoclassical buildings in Athens, designed by the Danish architect Christian Hansen.
From 1855 to 1875, the building housed a silk factory, and the wider area was named Metaxourgeio.
In 1989 the building was donated to the Municipality of Athens, and in 2006 its design-reconstruction began so that the old factory could house cultural events. In 2010 the renovated buildings were converted into the Municipal Gallery of Athens.
Municipal Gallery of Athens, Koumoundourou Square building
The building, designed by the architect Panagiotis Kalkos, was completed in 1875 and operated as a nursery until 1977.
It is a typical neoclassical building, an exceptional sample of public and urban architecture that prevailed from the Greek state’s foundation until the first decades of our century. Since 1982 it has housed the Municipal Gallery.
Today, only the atricrafts, photography conservation lab, and art library are housed on its premises.