A Look Inside Athens' New Modern & Contemporary Art Museum

Today marks the opening of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation‘s new public modern and contemporary art museum in Athens, Greece. The new space will house part of the now late Greek couple’s collection, including roughly 180 various works in the form of paintings, sculptures and more. Basil and Elise are most known for opening the Museum of Contemporary Art on the island of Andros, which was the first institution dedicated to current art in a country known for its distinct classical art and architecture.

The couple always had dreams to open a similar space in Athens to expose more people to contemporary art, and after 26 years of planning it will finally come to life. The building is 11 stories with five floors below ground and was erected in a Neo-classical-inspired fashion. The walls are painted in a variety of unexpected, moody colors like purple and black to highlight the works on display.

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The Basil And Elise Goulandris Foundation

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The Basil And Elise Goulandris Foundation

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The Basil And Elise Goulandris Foundation

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The Basil And Elise Goulandris Foundation

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The Basil And Elise Goulandris Foundation

The museum’s illustrious permanent collection includes works by renowned artists Vincent van Gogh, Roy Lichtenstein, Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, among many others, as well as work from prominent Greek artists. In addition to its core collection, the museum will hold temporary rotating exhibitions of Greek and foreign artists. A museum shop, restaurant, multiple education spaces, a massive library, and a 190-seat amphitheater to host screenings and other events round out the space.

The Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation Athens opens today and can be visited at the address below and online.

Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation Athens
Eratosthenous 13
Athina 116 35, Greece

Elsewhere in art, Banksy has opened up the GrossDomesticProduct™ homeware store in London.