The show, simply entitled 'Democracy', brings together works by over 50 artists in a poignant reflection on the pursuit of civil liberties – in a year when nearly half the world is heading to the polls. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Metapolitefsi, the period that saw the fall of Greece’s seven-year military dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in the nation where the very phenomenon was birthed. In commemoration of the Metapolitefsi and in response to this historic election year, the is hosting 'Democracy': a large-scale show comprising 140 artworks by 55 artists, exploring artistic responses to the transition from dictatorial rule to democracy.
Beyond Greece, the exhibition looks at the creativity that emerged as Spain and Portugal also made this journey during the 1960s-70s, in collaboration with Spanish and Portuguese institutions: the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian (CAM), and Centro de Estudos Multidisciplinares Ernesto de Sousa, as well as a number of private collections. “This exhibition serves as a testament to the struggles for civil liberties and the anti-colonial fight, offering a visual narrative of the quest for freedom against authoritarian regimes,” says the show’s curator and director of the National Gallery, Syrago Tsiara. Taking visitors on a creative odyssey through the themes of ‘Resistance’, ‘Uprising’, and ‘Stimulation’, D.