Medusa Art Gallery was established by Maria Dimitriadis in 1979. At a time when a very limited number of people were receptive to avant-garde art, Medusa presented not only painting and sculpture exhibitions, but also environments, installations, video art, photography, etc. Since its establishment to date, Medusa’s operation policy has been based on the discovery and systematic promotion of young greek artists, whose exhibitions account for the greatest part of the gallery’s annual programme. At the same time the gallery presents unreleased works of internationally known artists such as Alexis Akrithakis, Costas Coulentianos, Mario Prassinos, Takis, Harold Stevenson, Roberto Matta, in exhibitions that suggest new approaches to their oeuvre.
A new alternative gallery called Medusa+1 operated from 1992 to 1996 at 21, Xenokratous street, where artists presented in situ their environments and installations. Medusa+1 revived the contemporary art scene and supported the experimental side of modern art. At the initiative of Medusa and under its supervision, the café of Fotis Melios at Naoussa (Paros island) is transformed throughout the year, by artworks of Greek artists, since 2004.
Over the last decade, Medusa has been annually showcasing at its premises (7, Xenokratous street) thematic exhibitions of Greek visual artists beyond those who are regular associates of the gallery, with Greek art historians as curators of these events.
Medusa Art Gallery focuses its interest and a major part of its production on exhibition exchanges and collaborations with galleries abroad, in order to disseminate greek art internationally.