“‘…step inside this workshop. Here a true cosmogony is taking place, which these humble and selfless people are trying to capture on the beloved works of their hands.’ In this way, Stratis Doukas – artistic director of the Anonymous Pottery Company Kütahya – in 1932 encouraged newspaper readers to support the refugee craft industry, which his friend Minas Pesmatzoglou had founded nine years earlier.”

From the day after the Asia Minor Catastrophe and for nearly four decades, Armenian and Greek potters and ceramic painters from Kütahya in Asia Minor kept alive the tradition of their homeland in ceramic art, offering to their New Homeland, as well as to foreign markets, vessels and tiles of rare beauty. In fact, with these tiles from Faliro’s Kütahya, the walls of many halls in the Old Royal Palace were decorated during 1932–1934, as part of its reconstruction and conversion into the Parliament building.

From the day after the Asia Minor Catastrophe and for nearly four decades, Armenian and Greek potters and ceramic painters from Kütahya in Asia Minor kept alive the tradition of their homeland in ceramic art, offering to their New Homeland, as well as to foreign markets, vessels and tiles of rare beauty. In fact, with these tiles from Faliro’s Kütahya, the walls of many halls in the Old Royal Palace were decorated during 1932–1934, as part of its reconstruction and conversion into the Parliament building.

The ceramic artifacts in the exhibition come from the collections of Nikos Tombros, Dinos Kogias, and Nikos Liaros. The Historical Archive of the National Bank has contributed documents and drawings that highlight aspects of the company’s operation and history. Valuable archival material has been provided by the Historical Archives and the Archives of Modern Greek Architecture of the Benaki Museum, as well as the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum. Important materials have also been contributed by Amalia Panagiotopoulou, Lila Theodoridou-Sotiriou, Voula Galanou, the Archive of Modern Greek Literature of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Historical and Municipal Archive of the City of Athens, the Folklore and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia-Thrace, the ERT SA Archive, the Photographic Archive of MIET/ELIA, the National Foundation for Research and Studies “Eleftherios K. Venizelos,” the Historical Archive of the Thessaloniki International Fair – HELEXPO, as well as other public and private institutions, whom the Foundation of the Hellenic Parliament warmly thanks.

The exhibition’s opening took place on Wednesday, May 28, by the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Nikitas M. Kaklamanis. The event was also honored by the presence of the former President of the Hellenic Parliament, Apostolos Kaklamanis; Members of Parliament Sofia-Haido Asimakopoulou and Pavlos Christidis; the Secretary General of the Hellenic Parliament, Vasileios Bagios; representatives of the organizations that contributed artifacts to the exhibition; as well as many visitors. After the guided tour of the exhibition, the President of the Hellenic Parliament, the exhibition’s scientific advisor, Professor Nikos Tombros, and the Secretary General of the Foundation of the Hellenic Parliament, Professor Evanthis Chatzivasileiou, delivered speeches in which they praised the work of the Foundation of the Hellenic Parliament in highlighting popular culture, emphasizing in particular its living connection with democracy itself.

The exhibition will be open daily to visitors, with free admission and a complimentary accompanying catalog. Additionally, upon telephone arrangement, guided tours will be offered twice a week to the public by the exhibition’s curators. Guided tours will also be conducted for organized visitor groups, as well as educational programs, in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Modern Ceramics.

Days and times for guided tours:
Wednesday at 18:30, Thursday at 11:00, by appointment via telephone.

Free admission, with presentation of a police ID.
Free accompanying catalog for exhibition visitors.
For more information, please call the exhibition office. 210 367 3265