Greek Politician Vandalizes “Blasphemous” Works at Athens Museum

Greek Politician Vandalizes “Blasphemous” Works at Athens Museum

Greek Parliament Member Nikolaos Papadopoulos on March 10 entered theNational Gallery–Alexandros Soutsos Museumin Athens, tore four works by contemporary Greek artistChristophoros Katsadiotisfrom the wall, and stomped on them. Papadopoulos, a member of the far-right Niki Party, was subsequently detained by authorities and released after questioning.

The works that sparked Papadopoulos’s wrath were appearing in a group show titled “The Allure of the Bizarre,” where they were on view alongside eighty etchings from Spanish master Francisco Goya’s satirical 1797–98 series “Los Caprichos”(The Caprices). Respectively titledIcon 1,Icon 16,Icon 17, andSaint Christopher,Katsadiotis’s mixed-media etchings evoke religious themes. Papadopoulus had already spoken in Parliament against one of the works in the exhibition, decrying it as insulting to the Virgin Mary and Christ, earning a response from the country’s Ministry of Culture, which affirmed its goal of “protecting the country’s cultural and artistic heritage in general” and further stated that it “never engages in acts of censorship.” A few days before attacking the works, Papadopoulos wrote to the National Gallery’s director calling for the exhibition to be shut down.

“The National Gallery, as a public institution, does not have the right to allow exhibits that promote blasphemy, disrespect and the de-Christianization of our society,” wrote Papadopoulos, who threatened legal action if the show, which he said was mounted at the expense of “the Greek Orthodox taxpayer,” was not deinstalled.

Upon being released by the authorities, Papadopoulos claimed on the platform X that he had been illegally detained according to Article 62 of the Greek Constitution, which stipulates that “the Members of Parliament shall not be prosecuted, arrested, imprisoned or otherwise confined without prior leave granted by Parliament.” He has additionally contended that he did not intentionally shatter the glass protecting two of the works, but rather that the etchings slipped from his hands.

“We unequivocally condemn all acts of vandalism and violence, and any attempts at censorship that threaten the freedom of artistic expression enshrined in the Constitution of the Hellenic Republic,” wrote the National Gallery’s board of directors in a statement.

EMST, Greece’s National Museum of Contemporary Art, also issued a statement in support of Katsadiotis, writing, “This sinister act is one more stark warning of the rising threat of anti-democratic forces all over the world. It is particularly telling that this incident occurred less than a month after the closure of democracy, an exhibition marking fifty years since the fall of the Greek military dictatorship.”

The Greek Parliament has since censured Papadopoulos for unparliamentary behavior, meaning he will see his parliamentary salary reduced by half for a month.