Athens on the Isar

I’ve posted several times about the Greek influence in Munich – buildings like the Glyptotek, the Archeological Museum, and Konigsplatz. Most of these references have a history leading back to King Otto of Bavaria, who during the 19th century created very important ties between Bavaria and Greece through the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (pictured are the horses that flank the entrance). Apparently, after the Ottoman occupation of Greece which ended in 1830, Greek artist had very few opportunities in Greece – so studying abroad was critical to their creative and commercial success. Munich became an important artistic center for Greek artists, as they passed up the opportunity to study in Paris for the Royal Academy in Munich. This gave birth to the Greek “Munich School” or the “Athens on the Isar.” Some artists stayed in Munich, and others returned to Athens to retrain local artists and define the 19th century artistic movement in Greece. From that connection, the Athens artists formed the Athens School of Fine Arts – the premier art school in Greece.