Greece’s National Gallery was forced to close on Monday after a religious fundamentalist, right-wing politician vandalized artworks he deemed to be blasphemous in an exhibition of contemporary Greek art. With the aid of an accomplice, the elected official allegedly targeted four paintings, which he forcibly removed from the wall and threw to the ground, shattering their protective glass of at least two works.
The Athens museum confirmed that the attack took place at around 11:35 a.m. local time on March 10. The damaged artworks, all by the same artist, Christoforos Katsadiotis, included three pieces from his “Icon” series and Saint Christopher (2020). The works are caricatures of religious icons.
Nikolaos Papadopoulos is a member of parliament in Greece, representing the far-right and ultra-conservative party Niki, which translates to “Victory.” After the attack on Monday, he was initially detained at the museum and then by local police before being released. According to reports in the Greek media, the authorities have confirmed that he will face charges of aggravated vandalism.
A far-right Greek politician smashed four artworks to the floor at the National Gallery in Athens, claiming they were ‘blasphemous.’ Photo courtesy of National Gallery – Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Athens.
Papadopoulos has threatened to “take all legal actions” against the museum, which he alleges detained him illegally since the Greek constitution “provides that a Member of Parliament may not be prosecuted, imprisoned, or otherwise restricted without the permission of Parliament.”
The MP had previously criticized the targeted works as offensive to Orthodox Christianity in parliament, while addressing Greece’s culture minister Lina Mendoni. Her ministry has stated on this issue that it “never engages in acts of censorship.”
In a statement, the museum’s board of directors said “we unequivocally condemn any act of vandalism, violence, and censorship that violates the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of artistic expression.”
Katsadiotis, a Paris-based artist, has also spoken out in defense of his work to local media, stating that it was a “poetic” expression that was not intended to offend. He argued that any artist “has the right to express his or her personal point of view, to react and, in so doing, ask the questions they want to ask, such as, about war waged on the pretext of purity and justice under any given god.”
Chriostoforos Katsadiotis, Icon No. 1 (2021). Photo: Odysseas Vaharidis, courtesy the artist.
Katsadiotis explained that he is intrigued by the ambiguity and implicitly menacing nature of religion, represented by saints “who threaten that, if we’re not on their side, we will face all manner of trials and tribulations.” He added that religion “is the most kitsch element of our folk history—full of miracles, tragedies and curses, it is our modern mythology.”
After the attack, Papadopoulos defended his actions in a lengthy post on X titled “Government of Atheists and Antichrists.” The Greek politician revealed that he had written a letter to the museum’s director, Syrago Tsiara, asking that Katasadiotis’s works be removed. He claimed that his original intent on visiting the museum was to speak to her in person but, when she was not available, he instead visited the exhibition and attacked the works.
Chriostoforos Katsadiotis, Icon No. 17 (2021). Photo: Odysseas Vaharidis, courtesy the artist.
“I feel moved that the vast majority of society embraces the defense of the Sacred and Holy of the Fatherland, sharing my indignation,” he said.
He also threatened to “take all legal actions” against the museum, which he alleges detained him illegally since the Greek constitution “provides that a Member of Parliament may not be prosecuted, imprisoned, or otherwise restricted without the permission of Parliament.”
The temporary exhibition, titled “The Allure of the Bizarre,” features the work of 10 Greek artists and closes September 30, 2025. It runs alongside a parallel exhibition of Goya’s Los Caprichos from 1799, it spotlights contemporary interpretations of the fantastical or grotesque that the Spanish Old Master also explored, as well as experiences of marginalization or existential anxiety.
