The Greek painter Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki, twenty years after her exhibition "The Mind and the Body" in 2003 at the Peloponnesian Folklore Museum - Basil Papantoniou Foundation (BPF) in Nafplio, returns to the same space for her new solo exhibition titled "Environmental Storm," invited by the President of the Museum, Mrs. Georgia Samara.
After her exhibition in Maryland, USA in 2022, alongside the renowned artist and Maryland's First Lady Mrs. Yumi Hogan, titled "Nature-Environment," Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki, in her exhibition in Nafplio titled "Nafplio 2003 - Nafplio 2023 / Then and Now" presents thematic combinations that reflect nature and its interventions. She creates large-scale works depicting forests, the iron arms of cranes interfering with harbors and the sea, violating its tranquility. Therefore, the natural environment and all that it entails through sensation, observation, immersion, and identification, is the result of this unity of works. She began to focus on this aspect that surrounds us and within which we ultimately exist. Additionally, there are iconic large-scale works, F1 paintings, as well as visually industrial works and applications inspired by "Kyknos", a factory closely connected to the Basil Papantoniou Foundation (BPF) - Museum.
This is how the works of the can, tomato and ketchup "Kyknos" were born. From there, the creation of applied works and crafts for the Vassilios Papantoniou Museum shop began. In Italy, in Como, scarves and shawls were made, just like in the past with scarves for America, under the brand TDS+MINA P.V., featuring the formula theme. This time, the red of "Kyknos" dominates, along with the classic "Kyknos" cans, tomatoes, and ketchup – all of nature in a box (famous company's slogan). The applied arts and crafts with the Kyknos's works, available in the Museum shop, are highly original, imaginative and unique, including notebooks, pencils, erasers, lovely plexi-glass items, coasters, and a plenty of applications...
Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki is a Greek painter specializing in subjects related to sports, nature, cranes, cars, and many others. She was born in Athens and was married to the Greek politician Sifis Valyrakis.
She studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts of the National Technical University of Athens under the guidance of Professor Giannis Moralis (1976-1981). With a scholarship from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she began her postgraduate studies in Art History at the University of Florence, where she was awarded her doctorate in 1986. Since 1983, she started exhibiting her work in Italy, Greece, the USA and other countries.
The works of Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki are exhibited, among other places, at the National Gallery in Athens, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the ASAMA Museum at the Sports Academy in Alabama, USA, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, the Barcelona Museum, the Borre Museum, the United Nations building in New York, the Automobili Lamborghini Museum in Italy, the Averoff Gallery and the JEAN TODT-Ferrari Museum. (source: Wikipedia)
Opening Ceremony
Saturday, July 29th 2023, at 20:30
The former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras also attended the opening ceremony, who is the spouse of the President of the V. Papantoniou Foundation, Mrs. Georgia Samara.
Exhibition's duration
July 29th until October 30th 2023
The venue
"Sofroni 13" str., Nafplio old town, Τ. +30 2752 028947
Opening hours
Every day, 10:00-14:00
Entrance
Free
Did you know that?
With the recent election of Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki as an Arts Advisor at the FICTS in Milan during the Cortina General Assembly in June 2023, for the Winter Olympics Milan/Cortina 2026, new work challenges have opened up for the next four years (2023-2027), while projects for the United States in 2024 are already underway.
In "Sofroni 13", the new cultural space of the Basil Papantoniou Foundation (BPF) - Museum, starting from the summer of 2021 exhibitions, events etc. are hosted, with first the previous exceptional exhibition entitled "Philhellenic. Collection of Eleni Martinou".
The Basil Papantoniou Foundation -BPF (ex Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation) is a nonprofit institution based in Nafplion and aims at the research, preservation, study and presentation of the material culture of the Peloponnese as well as of the whole of Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Mrs. Ioanna Papantoniou in memory of her father. It is housed in the residence of B. Papantoniou, which was converted into a museum in 1981.
