Winter 2025: What’s Going on in Athens

Artwork upstairs

Lately, Athens has seen an intriguing shift in its artwork scene. Lots of the metropolis’s main galleries are shifting away from conventional storefront areas on busy streets, opting as an alternative for residences within the higher flooring of Modernist buildings and previous townhouses. This variation is about greater than only a monetary practicality – it displays a want to create a extra intimate, “home-like” atmosphere, fostering deeper connections with a extra discerning viewers.

Probably the most thrilling newcomers to this development is the famend Michael Werner Gallery. Established in Berlin in 1963, the gallery opened with Georg Baselitz’s debut exhibition and has since expanded throughout Europe and the U.S., representing such distinguished names as Per Kirkeby, Marcel Broodthaers, Peter Saul and Issy Wooden. Now, it has discovered a house in Athens. The gallery’s Athenian department is situated close to the Athens Conservatory, a stone’s throw away from main cultural establishments similar to the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Artwork, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, and the Nationwide Gallery. Its inaugural exhibition,“Faithfully Represented,” options the work of Polish-born, London-based artist Barbara Wesolowska, who took the title of her present from a phrase in Freud’s “The Interpretation of Goals.” Wesolowska, who grew up on church property on a Polish island, describes her childhood as having taken place “actually contained in the church.” That deeply non secular atmosphere formed each her creative palette, impressed by the deep reds and gilded golds of Polish Gothic cathedrals and Byzantine icons, and her want to evoke a way of transcendence as she invitations viewers to attach together with her work by drawing on feelings and reminiscences. -Xenia Georgiadou

Celebrating Cycladic ladies

The various roles of Cycladic ladies from prehistory to the nineteenth century are being dropped at life by spectacular exhibit objects similar to the Archaic Kore of Thera (early sixth century BC), work, post-Byzantine icons from Amorgos, golden jewellery from Sikinos, and different collectible figurines and vases, a few of which have by no means been offered to the general public earlier than. The exhibition “Kykladitisses: Untold Tales of Girls within the Cyclades” explores the lives of companions, moms, worshipers and warriors, specializing in each the compromises imposed by their societal roles and their achievements in a male-dominated world. -Xenia Georgiadou

Echoes of Magna Graecia

Step again in time with the Acropolis Museum’s charming non permanent exhibition, “The Historic Civilizations of Basilicata: Treasures Rising to Mild.” Till January 26, 2025, guests can uncover the wealthy heritage of Basilicata, a area in Italy that historic vacationers knew as Oenotria, the “land of vines.” This crossroads of cultures, central to the early Greek colonization of Magna Graecia (southern Italy in antiquity), is alive with tales of migration, commerce, and cultural fusion.

The exhibition showcases over 300 artifacts – dazzling gold ornaments, intricately embellished ceremonial vessels and finely crafted weapons – all unearthed from historic burial websites. These treasures date from the tip of the Bronze Age (eleventh century BC) to the sixth century BC, providing insights into the interactions between Greek settlers and indigenous Italic peoples.

Past the artifacts, the exhibition invitations contemplation of the human experiences they signify: the rituals, exchanges and shared creativity that formed this pivotal interval in Mediterranean historical past. Housed within the ground-floor Non permanent Exhibition Gallery, the exhibition is free to go to, with guided excursions each Tuesday in English offering deeper insights from museum archaeologists. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the intersections of historical past and artistry that outlined an period. -Duncan Howitt-Marshall

The return of Hermes

Athens, a metropolis the place antiquity and modernity coexist in a fragile dance, has as soon as once more rendered up a treasure from its storied previous. Throughout routine excavation work to put in a pure gasoline pipeline on Erechtheiou Avenue close to the Acropolis, a rare discovery was made: a remarkably well-preserved marble statue of a nude male determine, harking back to the Hermes Ludovisi. Hidden for hundreds of years inside a brick enclosure, the statue has emerged as a strong reminder of the layers of historical past that lie simply beneath the floor of town’s fashionable streets.

Elena Kountouri, head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Athens, believes that is just the start. “It’s possible half of a bigger ensemble, maybe related to the Home of Proclus or one other important complicated of the period,” she stated. The statue’s obvious relocation in antiquity suggests efforts to guard it throughout turbulent occasions, a poignant testomony to the enduring worth positioned on artwork and tradition.

The gasoline set up undertaking has been halted quickly and the invention has reignited pubic curiosity and pleasure over the splendor of Athens throughout Late Antiquity. As this historic Hermes emerges from its resting place, it serves as one more reminder that Athens is a metropolis constructed on, and impressed by, the grandeur of its previous. -Dimitris Rigopoulos

West meets East

“Ghika’s whole life was a journey,” notes Ioanna Moraiti, curator of the Ghika Gallery Archive. Although he spent a lot of his life in Western cities, the artist’s lifelong dream of exploring Japanese cultures got here true in 1958. The exhibition “Ghika: A Journey from West to East” traces the impressions left on the artist by the traditions and humanities of Japan, China, India, Cambodia and Egypt via letters, notes, watercolors and sketches. -Xenia Georgiadou

The facility and fervour of “Los Caprichos”

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) lived via one of the tumultuous intervals in European historical past, witnessing the Enlightenment; the decline of the Ancien Régime; the French Revolution; the Napoleonic Wars; and the restoration of absolute monarchy in Spain. Amidst these monumental occasions, Goya spearheaded a change in portray, infusing Spanish artwork with a revolutionary spirit. A defining second in his profession was the creation of “Los Caprichos” (1797-98). On this work, Goya broke free from the constraints of official commissions, channeling the total maturity of his artistry. Drawing on modern life, he explored darker facets of Spanish society, exposing human folly and vice whereas delivering a scathing critique of the oppressive buildings of his day, together with the Church. In 1962, underneath the visionary route of Marinos Kalligas, the Nationwide Gallery acquired a later version of the sequence – all 80 etchings and aquatints, from 1803. As of January 2025, guests in Athens can view this extraordinary assortment, in addition to reproductions of the artist’s preparatory sketches. -Maro Vasiliadou

Wild at Artwork

Brass pheasants, stone owls, frenzied bulls, canines, dolphins, iron eagles, calves and deer product of bronze are set to take over the grounds of the Nationwide Glyptotheque. Whereas animal sculpture has been a recurring theme all through artwork historical past (the Parthenon frieze alone depicts over 220 animals), fashionable Greek sculpture has primarily targeted on the human type. The exhibition “The Farm” showcases works by Greek sculptors Yiannis Antoniadis, Bella Raftopoulou, Antonis Karachalios, Nikolaos Dogoulis and Frosso Efthymiadi-Menegaki, who all turned their creative gaze on animals. Spanning the interval from 1940 to 1970, the exhibition traces the evolution of artwork from realism to abstraction. -Xenia Georgiadou

Dalí throughout

Step right into a dreamlike world at the Dalí Cybernetics exhibition, an immersive expertise that surrounds you with the gorgeous masterpieces of the legendary Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. Projected seamlessly onto partitions and flooring, his iconic works shift and circulation, inviting you to work together and lose your self of their surreal magnificence.

As well as, guests can dive deeper into Dalí’s world via documentaries about his life, wander amongst reproductions of his iconic artwork, and even embark on a VR journey utilizing a headset. -Panagiotis Koustas

A narrative of affection and loss

Romeo Castellucci takes an summary method for his interpretation of Jean Racine’s five-act verse tragedy Bérénice, one of the necessary works of contemporary dramaturgy. Titus and Antiochus, two rulers competing for the guts of the Queen of Judea, transfer silently towards a surreal background, leaving solely Bérénice (performed by Isabelle Huppert) to speak the essence of affection: tenderness, insanity, deceit, loss and cruelty. The manufacturing options music by Scott Gibbons and costumes by Iris van Herpen. -Xenia Georgiadou

Brilliant concepts

Within the early Nineteen Sixties, Chryssa started utilizing neon as a sculptural medium, drawing inspiration from Manhattan’s visitors lights and glowing storefront indicators. She was not alone. Stephen Antonakos, Yiannis Bouteas, George Lappas and Takis are all a part of a era of artists who developed their inventive practices across the theme of sunshine. Specializing in coloration, reflections, gentle and shadow, the exhibition “It Empties, It Fills, the Mild” brings collectively works from the postwar modernist interval with modern explorations by Greek artists. -Xenia Georgiadou

Greater than a keep

Okupa is a reimagined lodge and cultural hub that invitations each locals and vacationers to attach, create and unwind. Mixing nostalgic late ’70s and early ’80s design with a contemporary ethos of inclusivity, it gives a refreshing tackle hospitality.

Begin your day within the ethereal foyer, the place communal tables invite you to take pleasure in your morning espresso or compensate for emails. For moments whenever you want a peaceable escape, head to the library, stocked with books and magazines. There are even soundproof cubicles offering privateness, and a serene and leafy backyard, a peaceable oasis amid the city buzz.

Okupa embodies the idea of an “open lodge,” the place luxurious is outlined by freedom of expression. The menu on the restaurant and bar modifications via the day; refined shared plates substitute gentle Mediterranean bites as night falls. Curated music nights, artist performances and full of life workshops remodel the house into a real cultural platform.

The lodge champions sustainability, too, internet hosting pop-up markets spotlighting conscientious native creators in an area that retains Athenians related to the world even because it reveals town’s genuine soul to guests from across the globe. -Nena Dimitriou

At all times cool in Kolonaki

Kolonaki Sq., the guts of Athens’ most upscale district, might be a development website for the subsequent few years, as work on the metro progresses. Nevertheless, the encompassing streets, with their combine of chic boutiques, stylish cafés, superb eating eating places and thrilling artwork galleries, greater than justify a go to or two. The most recent neighborhood hotspot is tranquil Spefsippou Avenue, named for the nice thinker and mathematician Speusippus, Plato’s nephew and successor. The road’s attraction lies in its elegant interwar-era residence buildings, which lend a way of timeless sophistication to the world. Begin your exploration at Dexameni Sq. and head to No. 1 Spefsippou. Brasserie Lorraine, on the bottom flooring, has a heat, old-world attraction and serves comforting French dishes with a contemporary twist; it’s a super spot to linger on a chilly winter’s day On the fourth flooring of the identical constructing, you’ll discover the showroom of Stefania Frangista, the Greek vogue model famend for its coveted swimwear collections and its high-quality, fashionable resort put on. Every bit is made in Greece, and the corporate has a powerful dedication to sustainability and eco-friendly practices as properly.

On the nook of Spefsippou and Loukianou Streets is Iodio, a brand new restaurant that’s already incomes kudos for its inventive culinary method. Chef Georgiana Hiliadaki serves contemporary fish and seafood in thrilling and ingenious culinary combos. Count on Greek dishes reimagined in surprising methods, such because the fish youvarlakia (a twist on conventional meatball soup). -Vlasis Kostouros

Match for a Queen

Tucked away in Ilion in western Attica, the Queen’s Tower Property is sort of a royal dreamscape, the place lush vineyards and enchanting gardens body a neo-Gothic tower constructed by Greece’s first king, Otto, for his beloved Queen Amalia. Impressed by Bavaria’s romantic castles, this little-known gem close to Athens has been lovingly preserved by the Serpieri household, who’ve now opened its doorways to guests desperate to expertise its distinctive mix of historical past, magnificence and flavors.

The tour begins contained in the tower, an architectural marvel of battlements that additionally boasts Greece’s most beautiful parquet marquetry. Rooms are trimmed in royal blue and gold, with arched home windows that gaze out onto statues, fountains and colourful parakeets perched in palms which have graced the grounds for over a century. The gardens lengthen throughout aromatic orchards and vineyards, the place you’ll be able to nearly style the previous in each bloom and breeze.

A stroll via the property reveals flourishing vineyards producing wines on the market which can be unique to the property. A go to would possibly embody a complicated wine tasting, the place you’ll pattern natural reds and whites paired with artisanal cheeses, selfmade pies and decadent goodies, all within the authentic stables that when housed Queen Amalia’s unique animals. It’s a sensory journey match for royalty – a secret Eden simply past town. -Nena Dimitriou