Greek Folk Art

Traditional Greek Popular art, examples of which a visitor may come across in each of his steps, has to offer a unique sense of form and color. From his dress to the decoration of his home and items of daily use, the Greek can be distinguished for his good taste. The artisan expresses himself with all kinds of materials, with copper, marble, wood, wool, silk, silver, iron, and clay.

These traditional popular arts are not museum items. In every corner of Greek earth, the artisan and embroiderer continue, by traditional means, to create their works. Flokati rugs, blankets, rugs dresses, beads, jewelry, shoulder bags, decorative items, pottery, in an inexhaustible variety of color and design are offered to this country’s visitors, not only as souvenirs of their trip but as items that serve their basic needs as well. Textiles from Mykonos, flokati rugs from Macedonia and Thessalia, embroidery from Lefkada and Rhodes, alabaster from Crete, jewelry from Ioannina, ceramic pottery from Sifnos and Skopelos.

Every corner of the country presents its own objects, worked by local craftsmen who keep alive the old traditions, since our popular art is a pure expression of the Greek soul, that wove, embroidered: carved gold and silver, formed clay with fire, and created, carrying down its message from generation to generation.

Genuine examples of textile art, such as shoulder bags, chest aprons, capes, cushions, and carpets are in great demand. Greek jewelry is famous for its craftsmanship. The craftsmen work the silver, copper, and gold with love and obtain their inspirations from archaic and Byzantine periods from Greek nature and also from popular dress designs.

From the depths of past centuries, ceramic art comes alive in our time. In Crete, Rhodes, Sifnos, Skopelos, and Lesbos, self-taught craftsmen, as well as known artists, create small ornamental objects which bear the seal of popular imagination and the unrepeatable valve of handcraft.
There is a permanent pottery exhibition, in Marousi, near Athens, where one can see and buy ceramics from all over Greece.