Vorres Museum in Athens

Vorres Museum is located in Peania, a north-eastern suburb of Athens and was established in 1983. Since then, it has consistently gained worldwide recognition with regard to its collections, as well as the unique way it manages to showcase the incredibly rich Greek cultural heritage.

The museum is separated into two different sections: the collection of Contemporary Greek Art and the collection of Folk Art. Along with the gardens, the museum covers a multifaceted space of 12,000 sq.m.

The collection of Contemporary Greek Art focuses mostly on the artistic production of the latter half of the 20th century, hosting works of art from the pre, post-war and contemporary period. These three periods exhibit distinctive differences due to the ever-changing social and historical conditions; the pre-war era is characterized by the incorporation of Greek elements and the shaping of a re-invented Greek identity; the post-war period showcases the strong influence of popular artistic movements such as expressionism and surrealism; the current contemporary period embodies the latest artistic and experimental currents, including also many exhibits from major Greek artists of the diaspora.

The collection of Folk Art includes items that cover a range of more than 2,000 years of history; it is an impressively rich collection with great variety, showcasing the perplexity and magnitude of the Greek cultural expression. In a specially designed building that promotes the coherent and fertile dialogue with the outer space - a ravishing garden, admittedly one of most beautiful in Athens- the visitor of Folk Art Museum can see up close, among others, daily items and utensils, decorative elements and ornaments of different techniques and materials, a rare collection of medieval European furniture that was mostly encountered in the Aegean region as well as various smaller thematic collections such as the one of the infamous “Syriana” ceramics (from the island of Syros) e.t.c.

By combining the rich past with the promising present, Vorres Museum manages not only to safeguard and honor Greece’s unique cultural richness but also to bring forth the contemporary artistic expression and showcase that the significant role that art plays in our everyday life is timeless.