Sophia Kalogeropoulou's painting exhibition "Panharmonia" / 8 March – 5 April 2022

The Greek National Opera in collaboration with NLG and SNFCC present

SOPHIA KALOGEROPOULOU
Panharmonia

A painting exhibition based on Takis Kalogeropoulos’
  Dictionary of Greek Music

At the atrium on the 4^th floor of the National Library of Greece (NLG)
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)
8 March – 5 April 2022
Official Opening: Sunday 8 March at 17.00
Opening hours: daily 09.00-21.00
Free admission

The Greek National Opera presents a tribute to the distinguished Greek visual artist Sophia Kalogeropoulou with a great painting exhibition drawing upon her rich artistic work. The exhibition titled Panharmonia will be held from 8 March to 5 April 2022 at the atrium on the 4^th floor of the National Library of Greece in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, and will be open daily 09.00-21.00. The exhibition is organised by the Greek National Opera in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNFCC) and the National Library of Greece (NLG) and is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

The 78 paintings composing the fairytale-like, luminous, and optimistic universe of the exhibition Panharmonia tell stories inspired by music works and entries from Takis Kalogeropoulos’ Dictionary of Greek Music. A few months ago Mrs Kalogeropoulou donated the entire valuable archive of composer and musician Takis Kalogeropoulos as well as her own historical archive to the GNO.

Behind the vivid colours, selected “entries” from a very detailed archive of Greek musical creation come to life, entries that perhaps do not belong “to its most popular part” but “to its most valuable”, as the artist notes. The paintings transport the viewers to scenes of music works, theatres, and myths. Through all this “fair” of colours and music, the works communicate a message about our own culture. Music events and visual art workshops for children will be held as part of the exhibition by the Learning & Participation Department of the GNO.

“When one listens to music, one ‘sees’ images. It is these images that I wanted to capture. The subject matter of this exhibition is our musical legacy, not its most popular part perhaps, but in my opinion, the most valuable. My guides in this musical and visual wandering were Takis Kalogeropoulos’ Dictionary of Greek Music and my musical past. The series of these works was titled Panharmonia after a verse by Kostis Palamas, and also after the name of an emblematic orchestra of young musicians of the 70s – active amidst the dictatorship –  who believed that a nation’s soul lies in their culture and education.”, notes Sophia Kalogeropoulou.

The Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera Giorgos Koumendakis notes: “It is with great pleasure that the Greek National Opera presents the exhibition of the distinguished painter Sophia Kalogeropoulou, whose works have been displayed in numerous exhibitions in Greece and abroad. It’s not only that Sophia Kalogeropoulou has studied music and has moreover appeared as a soloist at the Vienna State Opera; it’s that these particular paintings, full of bright colours, tell stories inspired by the music works and entries from the Dictionary of Greek Music written by her husband, Takis Kalogeropoulos. A few months ago, thanks to the important donation of Mrs Kalogeropoulou,  the Greek National opera came into possession of the archive of composer and musician Takis Kalogeropoulos and of the one of Sophia Kalogeropoulou herself, an extremely valuable and rich in material archive. It comprises a significant number of valuable records that can serve as a great raw material for future research papers and musical performances. Among other things, it includes about 250 publications of music and musicological books, a great number of musical editions of works by Greek and foreign composers, a multitude of articles and programme booklets, and more than 250 photographs, some of which are completely unknown to the Greek musical and musicological community. It is very important that over the last years increasingly more collectors and artists entrust their valuable collections and archives to the Greek National Opera, showing in practice how much they appreciate the organisation and its work. Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s exhibition with paintings inspired by musical compositions but also with records from the archive of Takis Kalogeropoulos is a first gesture in an effort to bring out this rare archive that has been recently acquired by the Greek National Opera, and I hope that it will encourage more collectors to entrust their valuable archives to our organisation.

The exhibition is curated by the painter’s daughter, Dione Kalogeropoulou. “The literal meaning of the term ‘curating’ in Greek is ‘to look after and show interest in something’.  It was on this basis –  as a curator in the literal, core sense of the word and less as a standard professional curator –  that I accepted to set out on this complicated journey of organising a painting exhibition that was also meant to be a very personal affair. The particular difficulty in this venture and my initial concern was how to find the most appropriate way to create a parallel presentation of the important work of two persons who also shared a common life path, and moreover, in such an emblematic venue – in terms of architecture and culturally – as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The answer came with the word “simplicity”.  The work of my father, Takis Kalogeropoulos,  as a composer and author – that culminated with the Dictionary of Greek Music, upon which the current painting exhibition is based –,  as well as the rich and luminous works of my mother, Sophia Kalogeropoulou, needed no special introduction or intervention. The exhibition is titled Panharmonia, because it aspires to become a single language of ‘harmony’, a concept that, at the end of the day, is so important for humans and the human soul”, notes Dione Kalogeropoulou.

Visual art workshop for children: Pop Operas

The Learning & Participation Department of the Greek National Opera in collaboration with visual artist and pedagogue Angeliki Bozou conduct the visual art workshop Pop Operas, as part of Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s exhibition Panharmonia. The workshop is targeted at children aged 6 to 10 and will be held on Sundays 13, 20, 27 March and 3 April 2022 at the Book Castle of the National Library of Greece (NLG) in the SNFCC.

The Pop Operas workshop aims at introducing children to the painting technique of Sophia Kalogeropoulou and the subject matters of her works. The self-taught painter’s naif style will be a chance for them to realise that modern art doesn’t have to be difficult to grasp or too perfect, but that it can be a way of expression that they can relate to. The workshop will help children create their own narrative sketchbook, by collecting and recreating elements from Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s paintings. Through the pages of a handcrafted notebook participants will try their hand at new ways of making paper constructions, creating a 3D environment that will host the buildings and the creatures of the world of the painter’s works.

Meanwhile, the students-visitors of the exhibition will have the unique chance to receive a handout with creative activities and equipment for pop-up constructions inspired by Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s work, that will help them enjoy a creative wandering through the exhibition.

Workshop leader: Angeliki Bozou
Age group: 6-10 years
Dates & schedule of workshops: Sundays 13, 20, 27 March & 3 April 2022, 10:00-12:00 & 12:30-14:30
Each workshop is independent.

*The detailed programme of the music events will be announced soon at nationalopera.gr

THE ARCHIVE OF TAKIS KALOGEROPOULOS AND SOPHIA KALOGEROPOULOU

The Music Library – Historical Archive of the Greek National Opera received a few weeks ago the priceless archive of Takis Kalogeropoulos and Sophia Kalogeropoulou, which is of special historical value for the study, evaluation and documentation of various aspects of the Greek musical life.

This archive includes a significant number of unique records that can form a great basis for future research papers and musical performances, such as some of the autograph scores of Takis Kalogeropoulos’ works, as well as his transcriptions-adaptations of traditional folk tunes, and other works by Greek composers, the many manuscripts and copies of autograph works by Konstantinos Kydoniatis, Georgios Poniridis etc.

It also comprises about 250 publications of music and musicological books (in Greek and other foreign languages), a significant number of music works by Greek and foreign composers (over 300), a multitude of press articles and programme booklets, a great number of Takis Kalogeropoulos’ notes on various subjects around Greek music and the life of some of its major representatives, a small part of his correspondence, some posters, and a few vinyl and compact disc recordings. Finally, the archive includes more than 500 (black-and-white and colour) photographs, some of which are completely unknown to the Greek music and musicological community.

Yannis Belonis

— Head of GNO’s Music Library and Historical Archive

SOPHIA KALOGEROPOULOU

Sophia Kalogeropoulou was born in Athens, Greece in 1946 and is a graduate of the American College of Greece (Pierce College). She has studied Law and Political Science and Economics at the University of Athens. She has also studied Music at the Athens Conservatory and at the Studio of the Vienna State Opera (Austria). She appeared as a soloist in the Vienna State Opera (1976-77). In the art of painting, she is self-taught. Since 1990 she has participated in many art exhibitions in Greece and abroad (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey, USA). She was married to the composer-musicologist Takis Kalogeropoulos (1946-2009) and she has two daughters: Dione and Daphne.

A Greek National Opera tribute to Sophia Kalogeropoulou
SOPHIA KALOGEROPOULOU:
Panharmonia
A painting exhibition based on the Dictionary of Greek Music by Takis Kalogeropoulos  

At the atrium on the 4^th floor of the National Library of Greece (NLG)
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)
8 March – 5 April 2022
Official opening: Tuesday 8 March at 17.00
Opening hours: Daily 09.00-21.00
Curator: Dione Kalogeropoulou
Advisor: Dora Vyzovitou
Special collaborator: Maria Migadi
Free admission

In line with the latest measures for the protection of public health against the spread of COVID-19, visitors can enter the exhibition venue only after presenting the following documents at the entrance:

• Adults: a valid certificate of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19
• Minors aged 4-17: a valid certificate of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 or a negative PCR test (72 hours) or a negative rapid test (48 hours ) or a negative self-test (24 hours)

Visitors are kindly requested to present the above-mentioned certificates printed from the platform www.gov.gr or in digital form on their mobile devices upon entering the venue, along with proof of ID. Alternatively, nationals from third (non-EU) countries need to present the certificates in paper form along with proof of ID. 

Finally, mask wearing is mandatory in all areas of the exhibition.

Organised by the Greek National Opera (GNO), in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) and the National Library of Greece (NLG)

Lead Donor to the GNO