Michael Petry's Monumental Anti-Fascist Painting at Vorres Museum

Michael Petry's Civil War Painting Number 17, a 2x10 meter oil painting, is installed at the entrance of the Vorres Museum in Athens, visible through a glass façade over a reflective pool. Created during a three-week residency, the work confronts political violence and authoritarianism, specifically referencing the current US government's alleged attempts to provoke civil war through militarized occupation. Curated by Olga Daniylopoulou, the painting depicts masked armed forces demanding identification, evoking Berlin in 1939. It engages with Picasso's Guernica in scale and anti-war intensity, and with Andy Warhol's camouflage paintings, though Petry paints by hand rather than silkscreen. The palette—ochre, terracotta, Aegean blue—pays homage to the museum's landscape. The work is on view until end of June 2026.