State Museum of Contemporary Art
Encyclopedia
The Thessaloniki State Museum of Contemporary Art is a state museum based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It was founded in 1997, at the occasion of Thessaloniki's year as European Capital of Culture
. The museum was established by a law passed in the Greek Parliament by then Greek
Minister of Culture
, Evangelos Venizelos
. Its initial collection was formed by a large part of the famous Costakis Collection
, acquired by the Greek state. It contains around 1,275 works of Russian avant-garde
art consisting of paintings, sculptures, drawings and constructions. The first director of the SMCA was the Aristotle University Professor Miltiadis Papanikolaou
, who remained in the position until 2006. Dr. Maria Tsantsanoglou, a specialist in the Russian Avant-Garde period, was appointed the next director of the State Museum of Contemporary Art.
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
. The museum was established by a law passed in the Greek Parliament by then Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Minister of Culture
Minister of culture
A culture minister is a Cabinet position in some governments responsible for protecting the national heritage of a country and promoting cultural expression....
, Evangelos Venizelos
Evangelos Venizelos
Evangelos Venizelos is a Greek politician, currently Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Greece since 17 June 2011...
. Its initial collection was formed by a large part of the famous Costakis Collection
George Costakis
In the years surrounding the 1917 revolution, artists in Russia produced the first non-figurative art, which was to become the defining art of the 20th century...
, acquired by the Greek state. It contains around 1,275 works of Russian avant-garde
Russian avant-garde
The Russian avant-garde is an umbrella term used to define the large, influential wave of modern art that flourished in Russia approximately 1890 to 1930 - although some place its beginning as early as 1850 and its end as late as 1960...
art consisting of paintings, sculptures, drawings and constructions. The first director of the SMCA was the Aristotle University Professor Miltiadis Papanikolaou
Miltiadis Papanikolaou
Miltiadis Papanikolaou , , also known as Papanicolaou, is a Full Professor of History of Arts at the Philosophy department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki....
, who remained in the position until 2006. Dr. Maria Tsantsanoglou, a specialist in the Russian Avant-Garde period, was appointed the next director of the State Museum of Contemporary Art.
Famous artists in the museum
- El LissitzkyEl Lissitzky, better known as El Lissitzky , was a Russian artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. He was an important figure of the Russian avant garde, helping develop suprematism with his mentor, Kazimir Malevich, and designing numerous exhibition displays and propaganda works...
- Kazimir MalevichKazimir MalevichKazimir Severinovich Malevich was a Russian painter and art theoretician, born of ethnic Polish parents. He was a pioneer of geometric abstract art and the originator of the Avant-garde Suprematist movement.-Early life:...
- Wassily KandinskyWassily KandinskyWassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely-abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics...
- Alexander RodchenkoAlexander RodchenkoAleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko was a Russian artist, sculptor, photographer and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of constructivism and Russian design; he was married to the artist Varvara Stepanova....
- Lyubov PopovaLyubov PopovaLyubov Sergeyevna Popova was a Russian avant-garde artist , painter and designer. She was also a rarity in the highly male-dominated world of Soviet art.-Early life:...
- Vladimir TatlinVladimir TatlinVladimir Yevgrafovich Tatlin was a Russian and Soviet painter and architect. With Kazimir Malevich he was one of the two most important figures in the Russian avant-garde art movement of the 1920s, and he later became the most important artist in the Constructivist movement...