Museum of Greek Folk Art

The Museum of Greek Folk Art is the principal state institution in Athens, Greece, dedicated to the preservation and display of Greek folk art and material culture. Founded in 1918 as the Museum of Greek Handicrafts, it has undergone several name changes and relocations during its more than century-long history. Today it operates across multiple sites in the historic Plaka district and Monastiraki area, serving as a key repository for understanding the decorative arts, crafts, and everyday objects of modern Greek civilization.

The museum was established in 1918 in the Tzistarakis Mosque in Monastiraki, originally under the name Museum of Greek Handicrafts. It subsequently became known as the National Museum of Decorative Arts before acquiring its present name in 1959. A major reorganization occurred in 1973, when the bulk of the collection and the museum's main operations were transferred to 17 Kydathinaion Street in Plaka. The Tzistarakis Mosque was then annexed to the museum as an auxiliary site. The institution has since expanded to include additional annexes, reflecting the growth of its collections and its evolving mission. A significant project to relocate the collections from the main center to restored buildings of the Cour des Miracles, situated between Hadrian's Library and the Stoa of Attalos, was underway according to French-language sources.

The museum's holdings encompass the full range of Greek folk art and decorative arts from the modern period. Its collections include textiles, embroidery, costumes, woodcarvings, metalwork, and pottery, representing the regional diversity of Greek craft traditions. The institution's original focus on handicrafts broadened over time to embrace a more comprehensive view of folk and decorative arts, as reflected in its successive name changes. The V. Kyriazopoulos Collection of Folk Pottery constitutes a specialized subset of the collections, housed in the Tzistarakis Mosque annex.

The V. Kyriazopoulos Collection of Folk Pottery is a notable dedicated collection displayed in the Tzistarakis Mosque annex in Monastiraki square. This assemblage represents a significant body of Greek ceramic folk art. While the sources do not specify individual signature works in detail, the collection as a whole documents the regional techniques and stylistic traditions of Greek pottery-making.

The museum currently occupies three locations in central Athens. The main building at 17 Kydathinaion Street in Plaka has served as the primary site since 1973. The Tzistarakis Mosque in Monastiraki square, an Ottoman-era structure, functions as an annex housing the folk pottery collection. The old Public Baths at 8 Kyrristou Street in Plaka, described as the only surviving and very well preserved public baths building in Athens, serves as another annex. A third annex is located at Thespidos 8, also in Plaka. The planned move to the restored Cour des Miracles buildings, between Hadrian's Library and the Stoa of Attalos, represents a future transformation of the museum's physical presence.

The Museum of Greek Folk Art is located in Athens Municipality, with its main center in the Plaka district at 17 Kydathinaion Street. The museum maintains an official website at http://www.mnep.gr/. Its multiple annexes in Plaka and Monastiraki are accessible within the historic center of Athens. The institution operates under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism, reflecting its status as a state-run cultural organization. The distributed nature of its sites across one of Athens' most visited historic quarters positions it as an integral part of the city's museum landscape.