Frames of Reference, an exhibition of important works from the collection of the Bank of Greece’s Centre for Culture, Research and Documentation (which has operated since the founding of the bank in 1928) is currently on display at the new Benaki Museum building at 138 Pireos Street. 

The central bank’s massive collection is comprised of 3000 figurative paintings and prints as well as some small sculptures from notable Greek artists who shaped the Greek art scene. 160 of these works are on display at the exhibition.

Put on to celebrate the bank’s 90th anniversary, the exhibition focuses on the three themes that are central to the work of the artists in question – and much of modern Greek art in general: antiquity, everyday life, and landscapes. These themes serve as ‘frames of reference’ for the artists.

It’s an excellent opportunity to get a general sense of what contemporary Greek art is about, and see artwork that is rarely on display by renowned artists such as Konstantinos Volanakis, Ioannis Altamouras, Nikolaos Gyzis, Giorgos Iakovidis, Paris Prekas, and many more.