The National Glyptotheque in Athens presents modern Greek sculpture from the 19th and 20th centuries, organised in thematic sections. The following Part II examines the evolution of Greek sculpture into Modernism, Abstraction, and contemporary trends. (Cover photo: General view of the National Glyptotheque outdoor area featuring Twelve Ray-Spoked Wheel on Cables Counterbalanced by a Sphere (1993), a large-scale sculpture by Theodoros, from the series “Equilibriums – Suspensions”, Stainless steel and wire, 16 x 30 m)
Modernism and tradition. The French apprenticeship
General view of the 20th century Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque
By the end of the first two decades of the 20th century, Paris had won over Greek artists. At the same time, the sculptural ideas of Rodin—who drew deeply from the spirit of ancient Greek sculpture, blending its idealized forms with modern intensity and emotional realism—coexisted with those of Aristide Maillol (1861–1944), Antoine Bourdelle (1861–1929), and Charles Despiau (1874–1946). Each exercised his own distinctive influence on Greek sculptors, while maintaining their shared focus on art centered on the human figure. The Hellenophile Antoine Bourdelle, in particular, brought once more to the fore the virtues of Greek Archaic sculpture and its austere style. Through his work and teaching, he guided his students back to the roots of their art. Maillol’s fleshy female figures, with their simple curves, simplified volumes, and clear outlines, played an especially decisive role for all who adopted his style, either wholly or selectively. (Source: National Glyptotheque)
Apartis Thanassis (1899 – 1972), Torso of a Portuguese Man or Male Torso, 1921, Bronze, 67 x 39 x 22 cm (left). Apartis was the first of several Greek sculptors to study under Antoine Bourdelle. The teachings of the latter and other descendents of Rodin and the simplicity of Archaic sculpture shaped Apartis’ style (left). Pappas Yannis (1913 – 2005), The Painter Yannis Moralis, 1937, Bronze, 174 x 55 x 45 cm (right). Pappas remained faithful to the figurative depiction focused on the human being throughout his entire artistic career. His style echoes both archaic Greek and Egyptian sculpture, as well as the contemporary trends.
Tombros Michael (1889 – 1974), Two Friends, 1929, Marble, 66 x 33 x 21 cm (left) Stout Seated Woman, 1948, Bronze, 103 x 45 x 68 cm (right). Tombros was a leader in disseminating avant-garde European currents in Greek art. While always remaining anthropocentric, he created free works, particularly of female figures, mainly reflecting Aristide Maillol’s plastic style (right)
Raftopoulou Bella (1902 – 1992), Maiden, 1931, Stone, 64 x 36,5 x 27,5 cm (left). Working mainly in stone, which she carved directly, Raftopoulou focused on the female figure as well as animals and birds. In her earliest works, the realistic approach reflected what she had learned from her professor, Thomas Thomopoulos, and, in certain cases, even Rodin. Makris Memos (Agamemnon) (1913-1993), Spring Dance, 1977, Hammered copper, 230 x 100 x 76 cm (right). Makris centered his attention on the human figure, faithful to representation but with a strong tendency toward the schematic and the abstract. His full figure sculptures, reflect the precepts of archaic art as well as his apprenticeship in Paris.
Anthropocentrism. Towards simplification and abstraction
General view of the 20th century Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque. On the left side: Efthymiadi-Menegaki Frosso (1911 – 1995), Nike, (1960), Hammered brass, 103,5 x 84 x 35,5 cm. After 1955, Efthymiadi turned to metal and created abstract compositions, either static or in motion, in which the void plays a prominent role.
By the mid-1940s, the human figure and figurative representation had practically monopolized the interest of Greek artists. However, the stimuli they received in Paris were numerous and diverse. Thus, while several remained faithful to academic styles, others, from the early 1950s onward, gradually turned to more simplified and abstract forms. This shift led to a schematic, suggestive, fragmentary, or expressionistic rendering of the human figure, which in some cases was also used as a means of expressing political or social protest, anxious psychological states, or personal experiences. (Source: National Glyptotheque)
Avramidis Joannis (1922 – 2016), Polis, 1965 – 1968, Bronze, 203 x 270 x 135 cm. Containing clear-cut elements from archaic sculpture, Avramidis’ figures are rendered schematically, in the form of a column or pillar, isolated or in a multiplicity of combinations.
Kalakallas Giorgos (1938 – 2021), Harlequin, 1983, Bronze, 108 x 65 x 30 cm (left). Kalakallas fashioned his personal style combining elements taken from differing stylistic trends and the tradition with the avant garde. Koulentianos Kostas (1918 – 1995), Sea Victory, 1954, Iron, 76 x 63 x 33 cm (right). The influence of Henri Laurens can be easily spotted in the works from the 50s, in which Koulentianos was still working in a figurative framework, but with a strong abstractive tendency, his subjects still revolving around the human figure.
Abstraction and other trends
The trend toward simplification and abstraction, initially expressed through sculpture rooted in the human figure, gradually led to the rejection of figurative representation and ultimately to complete abstraction. At the same time, sculptors abandoned traditional materials and turned to iron, steel, and other metals. Cubism and Constructivism—with their dynamic projection into space and the incorporation of empty space as a defining sculptural element—became key sources of inspiration, as did organic forms. Compositions were enriched with new materials. Science and technology also provided important stimuli. (Source: National Glyptotheque)
Aperghis Achilleas (1909 – 1986), Solitude, 1966, Bronze, 205 x 58 x 38 cm (left). Even in the earliest of Apergis’ abstract works the endeavor to limit the volume while developing the figure in space is apparent, sometimes stressing the vertical and other times the horizontal. Sklavos Yerassimos (1927 – 1967), La Passante, 1965, Marble, 266 x 100 x 63 cm (right). Sklavos created works in the round, in the context mainly of geometric and in certain cases organic abstraction. In 1960, he invented “Telesculpture”, a patented technique that enabled him to carve his materials more easily, using an oxyacetylene flame.
Lameras Lazaros (1913 – 1998), Penteli in Ecstasy, 1948, Marble, 48,5 x 47 x 12 cm (left). The inspiration for the piece was the mountain in Attica that had provided the marble for many important works of sculpture dating back to antiquity. Lameras was a sculptor who comfortably moved between traditional art and contemporary currents. Vari Sofia (1940 – 2023), Centaur, 1985, Bronze, 77 x 70 x 60 cm (right). Vari’s early stylisation evolved into abstraction, echoing the styles of Henry Moore and Jean Arp, with subjects inspired by Greek mythology.
Zongolopoulos Giorgos (1903 – 2004), Composition of Circles, 1998, Stainless metal, 300 cm. A significant portion of Zongolopoulos’ oeuvre is made up of his constructivist compositions that incorporate the void.
After Abstraction
General view of the 20th century Sculpture Section at the National Glyptotheque. On the left side: Zouni Opy (1941 – 2008), White Column, 1991, Acrylic in wooden manufacture with base stainless steel, 240 x 20 x 20 cm. Through geometric shapes, bold colours, and a lyrical mood, Zouni captures light, shadow, motion, and perspective, and the immense space seems even more immense, due to the human absence.
Abstraction, which dominated the 1960s and 1970s, later declined, giving way to—or at times coexisting with—a variety of other artistic currents. From the 1980s onward, a renewed turn toward figurative and expressive forms emerged, embraced not only by younger artists but also by those who had previously committed to abstraction. This shift often resulted in works of striking realism, with traditional materials frequently replaced by everyday or natural substances. The human figure appears as part of an environment or installation that reshapes its meaning, occasionally conveying irony, layered critique, or protest. Conversely, although depictions of nature are relatively uncommon in sculpture, they do surface in different forms within the work of certain artists—either as a primary focus or as a fragment within their broader creative practice. (Source: National Glyptotheque)
Liti Aphroditi (1953), Leaf, 1984, Iron, mirror, 73 x 333 x 508 cm. Drawing her inspiration from nature, Liti transforms reality into outsized images, elements from the natural world that reside on the ground or are suspended. Various metals, mirrors, mosaics, marble, stone and plaster are the mediums she uses to remodel images of the natural world.
Papayannis Theodoros (1942), Figure from the series “My Phantoms”, 1994 – 1995, Wood, metal and mixed media, height 250 cm (left). The human figure isolated or in pairs, has been the focus of Papayannis’ work in all the stages of his creative career. He quickly distanced himself from strict naturalistic depiction, turning to more abstract renditions. Papadimitriou Angelos (1952), Apollo (Ap’ olon), 2007, Porcelain, papier mache, polyester, iron, 110 x 140 x 180 cm (right). The work is inspired by C.P. Cavafy’s poem “Artificial Bloom”.
Current exhibition: “The Farm”
Exhibition view featuring Frosso Efthymiadi-Menegaki’s Ibex (1955), Brass, 74 × 41 × 24 cm
Currently, the exhibition “THE FARM” is presented in the outdoor space of the National Glyptotheque. Works by Thanassis Apartis, Bella Raftopoulou, Antonis Karachalios, Yannis Antoniadis, Nikolas Dogoulis, but especially Frosso Efthymiadi Menegaki, create a fantastic, artistic environment, integrated into the natural landscape of the park, with familiar and less well-known figures, in characteristic poses. At the same time, however, they reveal the relationship, the emotions and the unique perspective of each artist towards the animals or birds they wanted to depict: the tenderness for their own pet or for the pet of a neighbor, but also for the unknown animals, which they used as models. (Source: National Glyptotheque)
The Christos Kapralos Museum, an annex of the National Gallery on the island of Aegina
In 1995, the six halls of Christos Kapralos’ workshop on the island of Aegina began operating as a museum (photo above), two years after the sculptor’s death. In 2006, the Christos and Souli Kapralos Foundation became part of the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum. In its halls and outdoor areas, visitors can view wooden, stone, and marble sculptures, as well as paintings, all created by the sculptor on Aegina. Among the most important exhibits are the plaster cast of Kapralos’ forty-meter porous-stone frieze The Monument to the Battle of Pindos (1952–1956), as well as the wooden complex Parody from the Pediment of Olympia (1971–1972). Christos Kapralos (1909-1993) focused on the human figure, modeled realistically in clay, plaster, stone, and marble and inspired by archaic Greek sculpture. In the 1960s he adopted semi-abstract forms in copper, marked by distortion and fragmentation. He also created wood compositions drawing on mythology, history, Christian themes, and everyday objects.
Read also:
The National Glyptotheque (Part I)
Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 1/6: “From self-referentiality to the gesture”
Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 2/6: “From Painting to the Object”
Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 3/6: “From Sculpture to Energy”
Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 4/6: “From the work to the process”
Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 5/6: “From rhetoric to cultural representation”
Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 6/6: “Towards a new spatial art”
Greek Sculpture Meets Diplomacy: Frosso Efthymiadi’s “Iketides” at the UN
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