By Dean Gregory, to Museum Spotlight Europe (July 2019)
Introduction
In the Mediterranean nation, a bevy of museums house treasures from the Golden Age of Athens in the Fifth Century B.C. and beyond. In the Greek capital city of Athens, the Museum of Cyclades Art produces a yearly summer exhibition illuminating the influence of ancient Greek art on modern and contemporary masters such as Pablo Picasso, George Condo and Cy Twombly. At the Acropolis Museum, visitors to the institution, which resides in the wake of the historic citadel overlooking the city, experience the artistic splendor of Greek civilization at its peak.
For guests to Europe, exploring these two museums will furnish you with a clearer understanding of the crucible of Western art and broader civilization. Discover below more of these institutions and the broader offerings of a blossoming artistic renaissance taking place in modern Greece.
Athenian Renaissance
As Athens and Greece as a whole emerges from the decade long financial crisis, an artistic and cultural renaissance is taking place transforming parts of the city with the development of new museums and cultural centers that showcase innovative art and creative expression.
In recent years, the opening of the Benaki Museum’s Pireos Street annex has featured exhibitions related to architecture, photography, art and design, while the recently opened Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, designed by the esteemed architect Renzo Piano, is becoming the new home for the Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece. In addition to these formal institutional offerings, parts of the city have become rejuvenated through the emergence of revitalized neighborhoods such as Koukaki and Pangrati abounding with novel bookstores, chic cafes and delectable restaurants. Ultimately, as the city and the country as a whole continues to recover from the hardship of recent times, a new chapter of flourishing Greek cultural has begun.
Museum of Cycladic Art
Each summer, the Museum of Cycladic Art holds its annual “Divine Dialogues” exhibition, whereby the museum juxtaposes the works of contemporary masters with ancient Greek art to demonstrate the influence of antiquity on modern day aesthetics. This season the museum dedicates the exhibition to the works of Picasso, including nearly 70 drawings and ceramics of the esteemed artist gathered from museums around the world such as the Musée National Picasso in Paris, the Musée Picasso in Antibes, the Museum Berggruen in Berlin as well as private collections. The antiquities featured include bronze artifacts, sculptures and ceramics originating from 3200 B.C. to mid-third century A.D. The pieces are donated from museums and collections throughout Greece and Cyprus, including the National Archaeological Museum, Delos, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection and the Cyprus Museum. In previous years, the exhibitions featured the works of the American painters Cy Twombly and George Condo. Easily accessible by public transportation or taxi, the Museum of Cycladic Art is centrally positioned in the city nearby a selection of international hotels such as the Hilton.
Acropolis Museum
In the wake of the Acropolis of Athens resides the relatively newly completed Acropolis Museum. The museum houses a set of the disputed Elgin Marbles with the others located in the British Museum in London. Focused principally on the works of the Golden Age in Greece during the 5th century B.C., the institution abounds with sculptures, marbles, artifacts and other treasures from antiquity. The five Caryatids, or the maiden columns that supported the Erechtheion, serve as a highlight of the first floor exhibition space with the sixth piece housed in the British Museum.
The jewel of the museum is the Parthenon Gallery located on the top-floor of the building. The 160m-long frieze from the temple is presented within a glass atrium, mounted in accordance within the layout of the building based on its original structuring, enabling a visitor to view the works at eye level directly. The frieze renders the Panathenaic Procession with white plaster replicas positions between the original works. The replicas stand in for the disputed pieces currently on display in the British Museum, acquired by Lord Elgin in 1801 from the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Greece at the time.
In 2019, the Acropolis Museum opened to the public a 4,000-sq-meter section for viewing in line with the broader excavation occurring underneath the museum. Further, President Obama made a celebrated visit to the museum during the final days of his administration as a moment to highlight the importance of flourishing democratic ideals. Located in central Athens, the museum itself is easily accessible by taxi and public transportation from a bevy of hotels.
Other Museums in Athens and the Greek Islands
Within Athens and in the neighboring Greek Islands, a medley of splendid museums exists that offer visitors the opportunity to experience a deeper exploration of Greek antiquity. Within the center of the capital city and in close proximity to the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Acropolis Museums, resides the National Archaeological Museum, which is the largest institution of its kind in the nation. Currently the museum holds two special exhibitions: the first, entitled “The Countless Aspects of Beauty”, explores the aesthetic attributes of Greek Art from the classical period, while the second, “Hadrian and Athens. Conversing with an Ideal World”, examines the influence of the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s philhellenism on Greek art beginning in 117 A.D.
In addition, within the city, exist the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Art and the Benaki Museum, which has organized exhibitions in the past on the Old Master painter El Greco, who hailed originally from the island of Crete. On the isle of Delos, a short day-trip from the island of Mykonos, visitors can experience the ancient site with a cornucopia of treasures of antiquity. Further, guests to the island of Santorini have the opportunity to explore the Akrotiri excavation, whereby they experience the achievements of a pre-historic civilization in the Aegean Sea. The islands of Mykonos and Santorini are accessible both by multiple daily ferries and short flights from Athens.
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