Municipal Gallery of Athens

The old silk factory houses the Municipal Gallery of Athens today.

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The former silk factory, now the Municipal Art Gallery

The factory’s workers were mostly young women, frequently exposed to catcalling by men, who were able to approach the windows from the street.

The former Municipal Nursery. Today, it is a mainly administrative branch of the Municipal Art Gallery.

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What I can see

The Athens Municipal Art Gallery is housed in the famous former Silk Factory (Metaxourgio), which gave its name to the area. Originally designed to be a mall, it was owned by Kantakouzinos and featured shops on the ground level and flats on the first floor. This ambitious project was left unfinished when plans to build the palaces in today’s Omonia square were cancelled. It was later completed but became a silk factory. Recent restoration works have highlighted its neoclassical character though it remains an uneven structure, reflecting the economic principles of its age and the fragmentation that resulted from the constant change in the building’s use. Today, it houses the visual arts department of the gallery (the administration and other services are located in the former municipal nursery), featuring 3,000 works mainly by Greek artists of the 20^th century, reflecting the foreign influence that marked the course of modern Greek art.

What I can't see

In the 19^th century, it was a landmark of the area and, together with the gasworks factory (Gkazi), formed the first industrial zone of the city. It was the first steam mill in the country and reflected the social reality of its time. The different uses of the building have directly affected the residents and character of the area. It was turned into a silk mill about 10 years after the suspension of its construction by Kantakouzinos and although it changed owners, it kept operating mostly as a factory. One exception is a small space that served as a hospital for cholera patients and, during the German Occupation, as a shelter for refugees. Its area covered almost circumferentially the block between Megalou Alexandrou, Thermopylon, Leonidou and Kolokynthous Streets, while today’s two Art Gallery buildings used to be a single structure. Although we cannot see the original stone facade, the building’s restoration is considered a success. In addition to its exhibitions, the Municipal Art Gallery offers educational programs and guided tours of the area.

Info

Address: Leonidou and Myllerou St.
Phone: +30 210 3231841

Bibliography

Aggelidis V. (1992), Μεταξουργείο- Κολωνός, Νοσταλγία και πραγματικότητα, [Metaxourgio- Kolonos, Nostalgia and reality], Athens, Filippoti

Agriantoni H., (1995), Σηρική εταιρεία της Ελλάδος: πρόσαρμογή και αφομοίωση μιας μεγάλης βιομηχανικής επιχείρησης, [Silk company of Greece: adaptation and assimilation of a big indrustrial enterprise] in Agriantoni C.- Hatzioannou M.H.. (eds), (1995), το Μεταξουργείο της Αθήνας, [Metaxourgio of Athens], Centre of Hellenic Research, National Research Foundation, Athens

Αγριαντώνη Χ., (1995), Συνοικία Μεταξουργείο, στο Αγριαντώνη Χρ.- Χατζηϊωάννου Μ.Χ. (επιμέλεια), (1995), το Μεταξουργείο της Αθήνας, Κέντρο Νεοελληνικών ερευνών, Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών, Αθήνα

Agriantoni C.- Hatzioannou M.H.. (eds), (1995), το Μεταξουργείο της Αθήνας, [Metaxourgio of Athens], Centre of Hellenic Research, National Research Foundation, Athens

Lefas P. (1985), Αθήνα, μια πρωτεύουσα της Ευρώπης, μια σύντομη εξιστόρηση της εξέλιξης της Αθήνας από την ανακήρυξή της σε πρωτεύουσα του Ελληνικού κράτους έως σήμερα, [ Athens, a european capital, a brief narration of Athens since its declaration as the capital of the greek state until today], Athens- Ioannina, Dodoni

Papanikolaou- Christensen Α., (1995), το Μεταξουργείο της Αθήνας: από το εμπορικό κέντρο στο εργοστάσιο, [Metaxourgio of Athens: from the shopping mall to the factory], in Agriantoni C.- Hatzioannou M.H.. (eds), (1995), το Μεταξουργείο της Αθήνας, [Metaxourgio of Athens], Centre of Hellenic Research, National Research Foundation, Athens

Poulimenos G., Daniel M.., Pouloudis A., (1995), Το οικοδομικό χρονικό του κτιριακού συγκροτήματος του Μεταξουργείου, [The economic chronicle of the Metaxourgio buidling complex], in Agriantoni C.- Hatzioannou M.H.. (eds), (1995), το Μεταξουργείο της Αθήνας, [Metaxourgio of Athens], Centre of Hellenic Research, National Research Foundation, Athens

Taxiarchi P., (d.u.), Το Μεταξουργείο, Ιστορική και Πολεοδομική εξέλιξη από την αρχαιότητα ως σήμερα [Metaxourgio, Historical and Urban evolution from the antiquity until today].

City of Athens (d.u.), Δημοτική Πινακοθήκη, [Municipal Gallery]

https://www.cityofathens.gr/node/668

Last visit 5/12/2013

Location

Timeline

Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )

1834 It started to be constructed. The architect probably was Christian Hansen.

1901 Took its final form.

1960 Destroyed by fire.

1993 Became property of the municipality of Athens.