G. Gounaropoulos Museum

Giorgos Gounaropoulos (G. Gounaro) was born in Sozopolis, a small town on the Bulgarian coast, to Greek parents. He moved with his family to Athens in 1904 and studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts. After World War I he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Académie Julian in Paris. He later studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, and he exhibited his work at the Salon National des Beaux-Arts, the Salon d'Automne, the Salon des Indépendants and in solo exhibitions. He returned to Athens in 1932 and set up his house and studio in Ano Ilisia.

Gounaropoulos's style was influenced by Post-Impressionism, Symbolism and Surrealism, and by his fascination with ancient Greek mythology. His ethereal, lyrical paintings include still life, landscapes and portraits, but also an important series of surrealistic and atmospheric nudes. The Gounaropoulos Museum was founded in 1979, when Gounaropoulos's family donated the house and studio to the Municipality of Zografou. The permanent collection includes more than forty of the artist's oil paintings and drawings, displayed in the setting in which they were created. The Museum also features a modern gallery space, which hosts temporary exhibitions, seminars and events.