ALTHOUGH the Ministry of Culture and Sports named 2016 Yannis Moralis Year, in celebration of 100 years since the artist’s birth, not much has actually been organized so far in terms of events. There was the Moralis Prize that was given this year to artist Panayiotis Tetsis, there was also a talk in Moralis’ hometown … Continue reading
Category Archives: exhibitions
Some Hope in the heart of Athens
THE REGENCY style’s ‘philhellenism’ is evident in its penchant for ancient Greek design elements (plus Roman and Egyptian). One of its greatest exponents, was Thomas Hope (1769-1831), who also had a great love of Oriental culture and style, as evident in his 60 drawings of Istanbul, that are on display these days at the Benaki’s Islamic … Continue reading
‘Dreams’ at the Onassis Cultural Centre
HUMANS have been interpreting dreams at least since the beginnings of the written word. This is evident in ancient scripts and other documents, but also in the Old Testament, Genesis 41, where the Pharaoh’s dreams of seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean cows, plus seven healthy heads of grain being eaten by seven … Continue reading
All about sleep
THE ‘Hypnos Project’ (or ‘Sleep Project’) at the Onassis Cultural Centre is one of those conceptual adventures of explorative nature that go well beyond just being about art. And seeing as we are getting less of it these days, due to the escalating problems of this country that are keeping us awake at night, maybe … Continue reading
Art flash: ‘Back to Black’
We have often associated Chryssa Verghi’s work with the hedonistic myriad of blue shades that make up the Greek sea, but here, that sea has gone very dark – pitch black. It is a sinister sea, that has taken the lives of refugees into its darkest depths. It is the sea of our dreams, that … Continue reading
Historic prints in focus at Zoumboulakis
IN 1966, the first Zoumboulakis Gallery opened its doors to the public on Kriezotou Street, downtown Athens. This gallery, was joined by a second Zoumboulakis gallery (in 1973) on Kolonaki Square. Together, these art spaces helped in the modern artistic enlightenment of Athenians of those days – a conservative and traditional public on the most … Continue reading
Art and music united
THERE’S an interesting marriage of art and music going on these days in Athens – a truly wonderful idea and experience. The Athens State Orchestra is performing some concerts at various annexes of the Benaki museum: Kicking off with a trio of musicians playing works by Schubert and Brahms at the Benaki’s Hadjikyriakos-Ghika museum on Monday, March … Continue reading
Why is Greek art underrated? And why invest in it?
WITH THE CRISIS, Greek assets in general have plummeted, and with them, so did the Greek art market. Auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s have lost their interest in Greek art (their Greek sales becoming rarer and rarer), while some collectors have been trying to sell off some of their Greek works. What does … Continue reading
Farewell Tetsis, Greek light catcher
IN THE work of acclaimed painter Panayiotis Tetsis, light and colour are enemies and allies because without the one, the other cannot exist. But it is darkness that is colour’s real enemy. In this amazing contemporary colourist’s last show of 27 large-scale works at the Theocharakis Foundation (May 6-October 25 2015), Tetsis, who used to … Continue reading
The Benaki’s Abramovic experience
Serbian artist Marina Abramovic – the world-renowned pioneer of contemporary performance art – is known for pushing the limits of her body and spirit through her art, unafraid of the consequences, whether they be pain, danger or exhaustion. In 1997 she was awarded with the Golden Lion award at the Venice Biennale, in 2008 with … Continue reading