When love for art, cultivated over decades, evolves into the creation of a collection—and then a contemporary art gallery—it is undoubtedly a testament to a genuine connection with the artists and their work. For a collector, selecting a work for their collection is a step toward self-awareness. It also allows others—the public, clients, and artists—when they see it, to discern the moral imprint of the act. By extension, the exhibition of a gallery’s collection is a presentation to the general public of the founder’s vision and actions. Typically, around the world, the unveiling of a collection by individuals known to the public as art dealers is a moment of great significance. The decision today, at a time when the art world in Athens is undergoing significant changes, to exhibit works from a gallery’s private collection is a statement. A statement of faith and of choices, proof of a journey and a genuine connection with the work and the artists. The backbone of this exhibition is precisely the private collection. Side by side, works selected precisely because they coexist and converse with the works in the collection, since the entire exhibition is essentially a narrative of the coexistence and dialogue, through their works, of Greek artists from the past 50 years.
Vlassis Caniaris, Brown Newspaper, Watercolor on newspaper paper, 58 × 66 cm, 1957
