Γιώργος Ιωάννου / Giorgos Ioannou

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A Different Kind of Pop: Giorgos Ioannou’s Works 1960s – 1970s
The Hellenic Centre, London
Thursday 08 Oct 2026 – Thursday 19 Nov 2026

Marking the centenary of the birth of Giorgos Ioannou (1926–2017) this exhibition is the first significant presentation of the artist’s work in the UK. Focusing on works produced between the late 1960s and 1970s – a period shaped by the Greek military dictatorship – these distinctive works explore the political undercurrents that emerged in Ioannou’s practice during that time. Although exceptionally prolific in Greece, Ioannou’s work remains relatively unknown in the UK. This exhibition introduces his striking paintings to a wider international audience, highlighting his creative vision as well as his passion for democracy and human rights.

Many of the works included in this exhibition were first shown during the years of the dictatorship. Despite his opposition to the regime, Ioannou continued to exhibit widely throughout the period, including the Greek Pavilion at the 1970 Venice Biennale, at the height of the regime.

The exhibition is accompanied by a small publication and a programme of events, including an in-conversation with the artist’s son, artist Dimitris Ioannou and Kostas Stasinopoulos, Director of Exhibitions and Programmes at KYKLOS, moderated by independent critic, historian and curator Andrew Wilson.

South by Southeast
EMST- National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens
From 22 June 2026

South by Southeast marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of EMΣT’s collection and its orientation. Drawing on recent acquisitions, donations, as well as existing works in the collection and donations, the exhibition foregrounds a new collection policy, begun in 2021, that looks beyond inherited Western canons and repositions Greece within a wider Mediterranean and south-eastern European cultural geography—one that extends through the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa. In doing so, it reframes Greece not as the periphery of Western Europe, but as a central node in South East Europe and the Middle or ‘Near’ East, a historically entangled region shaped by mobility, exchange, conflict, multilingualism, and layered identities. The exhibition includes 50 artists from more than 20 countries.

Art Basel
Kalfayan Galleries
Art Basel | Booth J1
16 – 21 June 2026

works by: Vlassis Caniaris, Antonis Donef, Farida El Gazzar, Maria Loizidou, Harm Gerdes, Angelos Merges, Giorgos Ioannou and Raed Yassin

‘Optimism, Despite Everything’ group show
Kalfayan Galleries, Athens
30 April – 6 June 2026

The group show titled ‘Optimism, Despite Everything’ with works by: Etel Adnan, Alexis Akrithakis, Sister Corita, Salvador Dalí, Farida El Gazzar, Dorothy Iannone, Giorgos Ioannou, Konstantin Kakanias, Vlassis Caniaris, Karolina Krasouli, Dimitris Neveskiotis, Panos Tsagaris and Raed Yassin.

Retrospectively: Selections from the Vorres Museum collection
Vorres Museum, Athens
25 April 2026 – 25 April 2027

Discovering the work of painter Giorgos Ioannou
Benaki Museum
25/04/2026, 14:00 – 15:00

A journey through the artistic path of Giorgos Ioannou, guided by his son, visual artist Dimitris Ioannou, beginning with the work presented in the exhibition 60 Years MIET: Readings of a Collection.