The exhibition, through models, stage props, sketches, and theatrical costumes, traces a 100-year journey in the arts of set and costume design in Greece.
This journey begins with works by Panos Aravantinos, the founder of Greek scenography, who gained recognition both in Greece and Germany in the 1920s. It also kates us through one of the most meticulously organized theatrical archives in Greece and internationally—the Archive of Giorgos Anemogiannis.
The 1930s marked a significant turning point for Greek theater. The establishment of the National Theatre of Greece ignited the flourishing of scenography, aligning visually with the aesthetic explorations of the “Generation of the ’30s.” Prominent Greek artists of the era, such as Kontoglou, Tsarouchis, Engonopoulos, and Moralis, engaged in a dynamic dialogue with theater stage design.
Meanwhile, costume design flourishes across Europe as fashion, theater, and cinema engage in a dynamic exchange of creative ideas and applications. A landmark moment in the history of avant-garde theater and costume design was the collaboration between Coco Chanel and Jean Cocteau in 1922 for Sophocles' Antigone. Costumes had now become a central element of theatrical productions, conveying the tone of the scene, the situation, the personality, and, most importantly, the emotional complexity of a character.
At the National Theatre, with Dionysios Tavoularis as its first wardrobe keeper, the costume repository—or wardrobe—was established. The idea for its creation arose from the theater’s own practical needs. The storage of costumes from past productions, the frequent revival of plays, and the reuse of costumes or accessories that visually and dramaturgically suited other performances necessitated a well-organized, systematically recorded wardrobe.
At the same time, a distinctly native scenographic language begins to take shape, crafted by artists with both theoretical artistic training and technical expertise. Influenced by Expressionism, Abstraction, the Russian avant-garde, and Cubism, they creatively merge the search for locality with modernity.
Navigating through numerous technical drawings, scenic design sketches, costume illustrations, and models, we observe the formation of a visual vocabulary that intertwines modernity with references to ancient and Byzantine art, as well as folk art, and even Karagiozis shadow theater.
Set and costume designers such as Giorgos Patsas, Antonis Fokas, Liza Zaimi, Yannis Kokkos, Yannis Karydis, Yannis Metzikof, and brothers Vasilis and Dionysis Fotopoulos played a defining role in costume design of the second half of the 20th century. Meanwhile, a new generation of female costume designers, including Eleni Manolopoulou, Anna Machairianaki, Rena Georgiadou, and Lili Kentaka, brought a dynamic and diverse creative force into the field.
The scenographic aesthetics of the post-war era are characterized by simplicity, clarity, a deep sense of balance, and an expressive freedom that continues to shape contemporary Greek theater design.
The exhibition presents sketches, models, stage props, theatrical costumes, and 3D scans of costumes from the National Theatre’s collection, offering an immersive journey into the evolution of Greek scenography and costume design.
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The exhibition contains items from the following institutions:
