The National Library of Greece is presenting, for the first time, one of its unknown artistic treasures: a collection of European prints. The exhibition spans a broad chronological and geographical range, featuring works from the late 15th to the early 19th century and from countries such as Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and others. The range of subjects is equally rich: portraits, religious scenes, works with mythological and allegorical content, natural and urban landscapes featuring buildings, archaeological ruins, seascapes, harbors and ships, genre paintings depicting social groups, and compositions featuring flora and fauna of the European continent. On display are works by Cornelis Cort, Hendrick Goltzius, Agostino Caracci, Philip Kilian, Moritz Bodenehr, Fra Antonio Lorenzini, Giovanni Rocca, Gustave Doré, and many other artists.

Visitors will explore the various artistic approaches and the intersection of printmaking with painting and drawing through specific thematic sections: Portraits, Religious Works, Mythological and Allegorical Works, Landscapes, Animal Paintings, Works with Musical Themes, Works by Jacques Callot, and Works by Francesco Bartolozzi. The chronological sequence within each section will help visitors recognize changes in the artists’ style, composition, and expressive capabilities.

Engravings that copy, reproduce, and interpret pre-existing paintings and sculptures occupy a prominent place in the exhibition. In these works, the engraver’s personal contribution is evident: the translation of color, light, and the painted surface into lines, tones, and incisions. In the centuries before the invention of photography, the memory of great works and the Old Masters of Art was preserved through engraving. The National Library’s collection, a veritable “paper museum,” includes works by Raphael, Michelangelo, the Carracci brothers, Guido Reni, Domenichino, Veronese, Titian, Parmigianino, Tintoretto, Rubens, Simon Vouet, Claude Lorrain, and others.

The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to discover a previously unpublished collection of artworks, the likes of which—until now—could only be seen in Europe’s major museums. It is the result of research and cataloging of the National Library’s collection conducted by Socrates Loupas, an art historian who is also the curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of the late Director General of the National Library, Filippos Tsiboglou (1956–2023), and is made possible by an exclusive donation from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), thanks to the personal interest of Andreas Drakopoulos, President of the SNF.

Finally, the exhibition is accompanied by a multi-page, detailed catalog, edited by Stavros Zouboulakis, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the National Library.