The GSA/Historical Archives – Museum of Hydra presents an iconic exhibition honoring Kostas Grammatopoulos (1916–2003), one of the last leading artists of the “generation of the ’30s,” who redefined modern Greek printmaking by imbuing it with painterly autonomy and color. He is the artist who left an indelible mark on the collective memory by illustrating the historic first-grade primers, earned international acclaim, and designed the current national emblem of the Hellenic Republic.

The exhibition focuses primarily on the artist’s monumental body of work “Aegean,” through which the distinguished professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts formulated a new formal approach in the field of color printmaking, elevating its expressive vocabulary. By creating a new way of rendering visual reality—filtered through the movements of abstraction and Cubism—he captured a “different” image of Greece: her works function as “inner landscapes,” where light, forms, and colors constitute a poetic language of suggestion rather than representation.

In this artistic journey of Kostas Grammatopoulos, Hydra was a life-changing experience and a precious creative refuge for him, something that is reflected in the numerous depictions of the island in his work. The exhibition KOSTAS GRAMMATOPOULOS: TRACES OF THE AEGEAN stands out as a unique cultural moment, marking the “return” of the works to the natural setting that inspired them. It is a rare opportunity for the public to experience how the artist’s ethereal and primordial Aegean once again engages in dialogue with the rocks, the light, Greek mythology, and the island’s maritime tradition, creating an ideal cycle of artistic harmony.

Curated by: Eleanna Grammatopoulou

Opening: 5 September 2026, at: 19.00
Duration: 5 September– 31 October 2026