LIKE HIS beloved material of glass, which he has tirelessly transformed into monumental sculptural forms, Costas Varotsos is sharp, cool and transparent – in the sense that he is unafraid to speak his mind. There are not many contemporary Greek sculptors who are also international names, however Varotsos is one of them. With his public … Continue reading
I RECENTLY interviewed one of Greece’s most well-known and definitely most contemporary of artists – Eleni Mylonas – for the Athens Insider Magazine . As is the case with interviews, a lot of material remains unpublished. I felt it was a shame to let this material get lost in time, and to never be shared, because … Continue reading
NEON organisation’s contemporary art show ‘Flying Over the Abyss’, is another example of how Athens is both exceedingly ancient and totally avant-garde. Comprising 41 works, by 34 international and Greek artists, but also including the original manuscript of Nikos Kazantzakis’ ‘Ascesis: Saviours of the Gods’, the show presents the diversity of the contemporary art scene … Continue reading
CAN a movement be created by a collector? This is a question that arises after having read the colourful, heavy brick of a tome ‘DESTE 33 Years, 1983-2015’. Via its 868 pages, this book documents the activity of an art foundation that has rocked the senses of the Greek public (and beyond) since the Eighties. … Continue reading
CHRONIS Botsoglou’s room with a view on Lesvos, had visually intrigued him from the ’70s, when he first started to study the view of the mountain from his window. But it was only in the last eight years that he dared to actually paint it. The National Bank of Greece’s Educational Foundation (MIET, Eynard Mansion) … Continue reading
IT’S Freize Art Fair in London at the moment. Sales are going well, the jet-set art lovers have flocked like groupies from around the world to check out one of the most prestigious fairs of its kind. But Londoners too from all walks of life will pay a visit in order to get a ‘zing’ … Continue reading
LIFE without art, would be like Greece without sun. The crisis has however cast its shadow over the Greek art scene. Nevertheless, there are plenty of exhibitions and events going on, especially in Athens. This capital with a population of around 665,000 in the city centre (or 3.75 million in the metropolitan area), has about … Continue reading
I WENT to bed on Thursday, June 23, thinking Bremain was more likely. Woke up to the chaos of Brexit. Depression sets in, the idea that Britain could become an isolated little island cut off from Europe. Sometimes, the blow comes from where you least expect it! In the meantime, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural … Continue reading
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
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
art scene athens 