Inquiries and impression of the Greek artists, 1950-2000


The Rethymnon Center for Contemporary Art and the Permanent Collection of the Municipal Gallery of Rethymnon "L. Kanakakis” (today Contemporary Art Museum of Crete) continuing their journey in Greece gave the opportunity, this time to the public of Patras, to become acquainted with some representative artworks of this collection.

The R.C.A. had started, already since the fall of 2000, collaborating with Galleries and Contemporary Art Centre’s in Greece on the realization of a series of exhibitions of the extremely important Permanent Collection of the city of Rethymnon. By 2001 this collection had been hosted at the Pieridis Municipal Art Gallery in Athens (November – December 2000) as well as at the Contemporary Art Center of Larissa (April – May 2001).

The Municipal Art Gallery of Patras hosted some important artworks from the collection of the Rethymnon Center for Contemporary Art, in the exhibition co-organized at the Arts Center (former Barry Raisin Warehouse) from Friday 11 May until 5 June 2001, entitled "Inquiries and impression of the Greek artists, 1950-2000", which attempted to outline the contemporary artistic landscape from 1950 to 2000, as it was presented in the collection of the Rethymnon Center for Contemporary Art.

The exhibition included works by the Rethymnian painter Lefteris Kanakakis as well as works by well-known Greek artists, such as George Zongolopoulos and Takis, the painters Theodoros Stamos, Yannis Gaitis, Giannis Moralis, Giannis Spyropoulos, Nikos Kessanlis, Chrysa Romanou, Niki Kanagkini, Panagiotis Gravvalos, Dimitris Mitaras, Costas Tsoklis, Petros Zoumboulakis, Tonia Nikolaidi, as well by younger ones such as Dimitris Ratsikas, Giorgos Lappas, Giorgos Rorris, Christos Bokoros, Michalis Manousakis, Tassos Mantzavinos, Thalia Chioti, Giannis Adamakos, Nikos Alexiou, Panos Charalambous, Manolis Zacharioudakis, Katerina Zacharopoulou, Popi Krouska, as well as by Dimitris Dokatzis, Grigoris Semitekolo, Vassos Kyriaki, Renas Papaspyrou, Mariannas Strapatsaki, Bias Davou, Giannis Psychopaidis, Angelos Skourtis, Dimos Skoulakis, Zafos Xagoraris, Makis Theofilktopoulos, Michalis Katzourakis, Giorgos Lazogas, Giorgos Logothetis, Michalis Arfaras etc.

The collection was presented through some dense thematic areas:

• Nature, still life, artificial and invented nature, with mural artworks, sculptures, mixed media works, modern technologies.
• Man, the great subject of painting, with paintings and sculptures, -figurative, abstract and expressionism artworks
• Political art
• Lyricism and abstraction, with paintings and constructions.

The Arts Center, a wonderful space of 2,000 square meters, hosted, for the first time since its renovation, a large exhibition which occupied all the floors (ground floor, 1st floor and mezzanine), highlighting the dynamics of the artworks and at the same time the possibilities of the Center itself and the importance of its operation, as an alternative exhibition center.

The Municipality of Patras reserved an honorary opening for the collection of the city of Rethymnon, while the Mayor of the city Mr. Evangelos Floratos and the president of DEPAP [Patras Cultural Development Municipal Enterprise] Mrs. Victoria Angelopoulou praised the role of Rethymnon in the artistic map of Greece.

Artists and art lovers from Athens traveled to Patras, honoring the Rethymnon Center for Contemporary Art while Cretan artists living in Athens attended also the event.

Patras Cultural Development Municipal Enterprise welcoming such an important exhibition published a bilingual edition.