As the year draws to an end, the severe and rather bare walls of the Greek Parliament will be transformed by the colours of art turning the place into a warm stroll through visual history. Since 1995 the House has been nurturing a modest art collection consisting of some 60 works by 19th- and 20th-century Greek artists, as well as some foreign artworks.

Parliament speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis sought the advice of an arts and culture committee in order to transform the internal part of the building. The committee, headed by painter and professor Panayiotis Tetsis, includes National Gallery curator Marina Lambraki-Plaka and Benaki Museum director Angelos Delivorias. Tetsis was actually highly approving of the initiative. "Kaklamanis is the only president committed to beautifying the inside of the building," he said. "A unique initiative for the Greek public sector."

"It is true," Kaklamanis told Greek daily Eleftherotypia , "that the internal part of our House always seemed less impressive in comparison to other European parliaments, characterised, as it were, by bare walls and cheap-quality prints that look more like posters."

Myths and masters
The works making up the collection were purchased at auctions both in Greece and abroad, chosen as representations of Greek history and ancient Greek mythology. Some exceptions have been made, though, as in the case of the purchase of a Delacroix work; but as Kaklamanis explains, "we must cover all of these bare walls"! And he adds: "We may be criticised for choosing only a specific style of painting but the works we chose to adorn the walls of the parliament cannot really belong to, say, extreme modernism."

Pride of place is the Battle of Pindos, an epic frieze by Agrinio-born sculptor Christos Capralos, which depicts scenes from World War II, the German occupation, resistance and peacetime. His frieze, incorporating characteristics of ancient, folk and contemporary art, is sculpted in a 41-metre-wide by 1.10-metre-high limestone. Originally, the work was intended to adorn yet another Athens Metro station but fear of the monument's wearing off too soon relocated it to the Parliament.

Two more sculptures by Capralos, Mana, modelled on this own mother and Man at Arms, sculpted in copper, have also been purchased and await their final niche somewhere on Parliament grounds. The 60-odd art collection boasts basic trends of modern Greek art, from Nikolaos Gyzis and Nikiforos Lytras through to Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas (the collection's most expensive work) and Yiannis Tsarouchis.

Singularities and portraits
Sofia Laskaridou is the only female whose art found a place on parliamentary walls. While, the collection's oldest piece is a 1856 painting by Theodoros Vryzakis - known as the visual recorder of the 1821 War of Independence by a man often considered as the first 'Greek artist'. Another evocative work is the 1881 Portrait of a Beautiful Young Woman by Munich School artist Yeorgios Iakovidis - " the cheek and neck are so real, you could kiss it," Kaklamanis exclaims. Fellow Munich School artist Constantinos Volanakis is also featured.

A number of portraits have also been commissioned: young Yiorgos Rorris will produce a portrait of statesman Eleftherios Venizelos, which will adorn the hall named after the great politician; Dimitris Mytaras, will complete two portraits, one of 19th-century scholar Rigas Velestinlis, the other of 'national' poet Dionyssios Solomos. Finally, sculptor Yannis Daskalakis will immortalise Andreas Papandreou.