Thessaloniki Teloglion Arts Foundation

Location: Saranta Ekklisies
Don't miss: Museums guide (free admission dates and other useful info)

The Teloglion Arts Foundation was founded in 1972 after the art collection and entire property of Nestor and Aliki Telloglou were donated to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The foundation would officially be inaugurated in December of that year with its first exhibition.

The building in which the foundation is housed was donated by Aliki to the city of Thessaloniki in 1999. It is a 6.600 square meter building located on the northern side of the Aristotle Univerity campus. The exhibition area covers three floors and is divided into smaller areas and a few auxiliary rooms. The foundation also owns a medium-sized amphitheater, where events are regularly held.

The main objective of the foundation is the promotion and preservation country’s artistic and cultural heritage, as well as the support of art research. It also works to facilitate the collaboration of artists and scholars of art and to familiarize students and children with the world of art through education programs. In 2007, the Association of Friends of the Teloglion Arts Foundation was created, to further promote the foundation and its work.

Throughout its history, the foundation has presented a wide variety of unique and intriguing exhibitions, highlighting the works of many innovative artists. The foundation’s collection of art is one of the most impressive in the country, starting from the initial collection in 1972 and being enriched over the next decades. It includes representative works of artists that shaped the face of modern Greek art, paintings, sculptures, abstract pieces, musical archives, historical documents, and over 20.000 books. What is more, the foundation frequently hosts cultural events that aim to further highlight the rich artistic world of Greece.