CLINTON, MA—September 1, 2025—The Icon Museum and Study Center (IM+SC) is thrilled to announce the opening of a new gallery showcasing approximately 40 exceptional Greek icons and objects from private and public collections. This permanent exhibition, opening on October 16, 2025, explores Greek icon painting after the pivotal fall of Constantinople in 1453. Located on the museum’s second floor, the gallery features icons that have not been publicly displayed in decades, offering a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into this historical period.

Visitors to the gallery will discover a compelling story of cultural endurance and flourishing in the face of exile. As Greek icon painters fled the Ottoman Empire after 1453, they carried their traditions with them, establishing new workshops in places like Venice and Crete. This period gave rise to a fascinating blend of old and new: Greek icon painters adopted the innovative techniques of the Renaissance to serve the deeply rooted traditions of their Orthodox faith. The gallery highlights this remarkable artistic exchange, showcasing styles that span a vast geographical area from Byzantium to Venice to Crete.

The gallery’s collection is a collaboration with prestigious institutions and private collectors. It features significant icons on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, as well as remarkable pieces from the private collection of Emmanuel Tiliakos, a renowned expert and passionate collector of Greek icons.

Several well-known Cretan workshops are also represented in this gallery, including two rare and exquisite panels from a triptych by sixteenth-century Veneto-Cretan master, Georgios Klontzas. Their purchase was generously funded by Museum Trustee Ruah Donnelly, in honor of her late stepfather, Richard “Dick” Dearborn, who was a longtime champion of the community in Worcester, MA, and a partner at the law firm Mountain, Dearborn & Whiting LLP.

ABOUT THE ICON MUSEUM AND STUDY CENTER

The Icon Museum and Study Center holds the most comprehensive collection of icons and Eastern Christian art in the U.S. with special galleries and collections dedicated to Russian, Greek, Veneto-Cretan and Ethiopian icons, spanning nearly two thousand years of art. The Museum’s exhibitions and programs offer a compelling blend of history, spirituality, and culture, all within a serene, contemplative space.

Housed in a beautifully restored historic building in a picturesque New England mill town, the Icon Museum features five galleries, a research library, and an auditorium. The Study Center connects scholars, academic institutions, and museums around the globe through its lecture series, conferences, workshops, and internships.

VISIT THE MUSEUM:
Thursday – Sunday, 10 AM – 4 PM. The Museum is closed Monday – Wednesday.
Admission: Adults $15, seniors (65+) $12, Students (with ID) FREE, Children and Youth (0-17) FREE.

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Image (Left to Right):
Beheading of St. John the Forerunner and Crucifixion, attributed to Georgios Klontzas, Panels from a triptych, 16th Century, Egg tempera on wood, Crete, Gift of Ruah Donnelly, in honor of her late stepfather, Richard Dearborn