A new exhibition dedicated to contemporary Greek art from the 1960s to the present will be on view from July 21 through August 23, 2026, at MOMUS—the Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, titled “Beyond the Canvas.”

The works by the 20 prominent Greek artists on display are part of a major donation by collector Leonidas Beltsios and are now part of the Museum’s permanent collection, significantly enriching the Museum’s ability to narrate the trajectories and transformations of Greek art over the past decades.

Literally and figuratively… beyond the canvas, with elements and artistic echoes from Paris, Rome, London, and New York, the exhibition traces the gradual expansion of the concept of the artwork: the traditional boundaries of painting are expanding, the materiality of the object is being reexamined, and artistic creation is shifting toward action, participation, social relations, and the new forms of materiality in the contemporary world. The exhibition also highlights the diverse manifestations of an art form that is constantly redefining its media, functions, and relationships with the viewer. The artists transform matter, space, memory, everyday life, and experience itself into fields of artistic exploration.

Leonidas Beltsios’s donation represents a significant contribution to the permanent collection of MOMUS—Museum of Contemporary Art, reinforcing its role as an institution dedicated to the preservation, study, and promotion of contemporary Greek art. The exhibition is not merely an initial, partial presentation of new acquisitions, but rather a new opportunity to interpret art history through a cohesive body of works that now belongs to the public cultural heritage.

ARTISTS: Dimitris Alithinos, Cris Gianakos, Vangelis Gokas, Daniel, Vangelis Dimitreas, Christina Dimitriadi, Stavros Diakoumis, Eleni Kamma, Nikos Kessanlis, Dimitris Kozaris, Giorgos Lazongas, Michalis Michailidis, Nikos Navridis, Giorgos Xenos, Maria Papadimitriou, Diamantis Sotiropoulos, Thanasis Totsikas, Giorgos Tsakiris, Panos Charalambous, Giorgos Hatzimichalis.

CURATED BY: Thouli Misirloglou, Artistic Director of MOMUS—Museum of Contemporary Art / Katerina Syroglou, Art Historian, Curator at MOMUS