The major retrospective painting exhibition entitled “Thomas Fanourakis. 5 Decades of Painting” comes to an end on 12 September 2026 at the Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion – Basilica of St Mark. The exhibition has received an impressive response from the public, with more than 67,000 visitors to date since it opened its doors on 12 May.

More than 44,300 residents and visitors to the city have so far enjoyed the exhibition, which is one of the most important cultural events of the year for Heraklion. For the first time, this major exhibition brings together works from the artist’s Donation to the Municipality of Heraklion and the city’s Art Gallery with works dispersed across museums, collections and private homes throughout Greece.

This has been made possible thanks to the private individuals, museums and institutions that agreed to share the works in their possession and collections with the wider public. Their loans made it possible to realise this important tribute to the painting of Thomas Fanourakis.

Spanning five decades of his artistic activity, the exhibition presents a total of 125 paintings by Fanourakis, from 1940, when he returned to Heraklion after his studies at the Athens School of Fine Arts, until 1984, when he gave up painting and permanently closed his studio in Bendevi.

Structured around five main sections, the exhibition traces the painter’s work from his first steps in watercolour during the difficult years of the Occupation, through the intense experimentation of the 1950s and 1960s, when, like many artists of his generation, he searched for new directions, gradually arriving at the discoveries that would shape his artistic approach during the 1970s and 1980s.

As the exhibition curator and art historian, Deniz-Chloe Alevizou, explains:

“In Fanourakis’ artistic explorations, one can read the journey of an entire era of modern Greek art, characterised by the search for ‘identity’. In his work, as in that of many artists of his generation, the answer comes through an introspective and persistent dialogue with the art of painting itself.”

The collaboration between the Vikelaia Municipal Library and the Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion, together with the participation of the Society of Cretan Historical Studies and the Historical Museum of Crete, made it possible to include in the exhibition the important tribute and video projection “Thomas Fanourakis & the Art of the Book”, hosted at the Basilica of St Mark in a specially designed space throughout the exhibition.

Jointly curated by Deniz-Chloe Alevizou and Kostas Bournazakis, it sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of Thomas Fanourakis’ work: the artistic direction and illustration of books.

The accompanying bilingual catalogue, with explanatory texts and photographs of all the works presented in the exhibition, will be offered by the Municipality of Heraklion, the Deputy Mayoral Office for Culture and the Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion to the private individuals, museums and institutions that loaned their works to the exhibition.

It will be available to the general public during and after the exhibition at the bookstore of the Vikelaia Municipal Library. This is a deluxe publication containing full documentation of the exhibition, including the first publication of several works by the important artist that had remained unknown until now.

The exhibition catalogue is available for purchase at the Vikelaia Municipal Library Bookstore.

The works from the artist’s Donation to the Municipality of Heraklion can be viewed on the website of the Municipal Art Gallery at the following link:

https://heraklionartgallery.gr/artist/fanourakis-thomas/

“Thomas Fanourakis. 5 Decades of Painting” | Retrospective Painting Exhibition | 12 May 2026 – 12 September 2026 | Basilica of St Mark, Heraklion

Organisation

Municipality of Heraklion, Deputy Mayoral Office for Culture – Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion

Mayor of Heraklion: Alexis Kalokairinos
Deputy Mayor for Culture: Rena Papadaki-Skalidi

Production organisation and project coordination for the Municipality of Heraklion:
Marianna Gialyti, Head of the Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion

Organisational Support: Nikos Tsagarakis

Exhibition Contributors

• Curator: Deniz-Chloe Alevizou
• Architectural Design – Lighting Design: Konstantinos Perakis
• Translation: Dimitris Vytiniotis
• Graphic Design: Konstantinos Perakis
• Printing: Kyvos, digital printing
• Transportation of Works: ALFA Dialektakis
• Construction – Installation: Heraklion Inn
• Insurance of Works: Karavias Underwriting Agency
• Photography – Video: Fotomaris

Publication Contributors

• Editing – Texts: Deniz-Chloe Alevizou
• Text Translation, Copy Editing: Dimitris Vytiniotis
• Photographs of Works: Fotomaris Photography, Vasilis Tagoudis, Kostas Bournazakis, “Tseli Douran Donation” and “Cretan Artists – Heraklion Painters” Archives, Archives Department, Vikelaia Municipal Library
• Artistic Design: Konstantinos Perakis
• Production Supervision: KYVOS Digital Printing – Graphic Arts
• Printing: KYVOS Digital Printing – Graphic Arts

Communication & Promotion: Konstantina Chatzaki, Press Office of the Municipality of Heraklion
Administrative Support: Directorate of Culture, Department of Culture of the Municipality of Heraklion

More information about the exhibition is available on the official website and social media channels of the Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion:

• Official Website: https://heraklionartgallery.gr/
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/HeraklionArtGallery.gr
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/heraklion_art_gallery/
• Twitter – https://twitter.com/He_Art_Gallery
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BasilicaofSt.Mark.gr
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/basilica_of_st_mark.gr