The global meetings and events industry turns its spotlight on Greece with the hosting of the Annual Meeting and General Assembly of the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron) from 25 to 28 February, reaffirming the country’s growing momentum and its strategic position on the global conference map. More than 150 leading professionals attend the event, delivering a strong vote of confidence in Greece, which has long invested strategically in conference tourism. The sector fuels destination development, with the conference delegates and visitors spending five to seven times more than the average traveler. IAPCO represents more than 95 companies employing over 23,000 professionals across 185 countries. The economic impact recorded by its members for 2025 exceeds €16.8 billion.

The conference is themed “The Odyssey Reinvented,” linking Greek mythology with the challenges the sector has faced in recent years — a true odyssey marked by the pandemic, geopolitical turbulence, economic uncertainty, rapid technological advances, and growing sustainability demands. The conference is organised by the four certified IAPCO members in Greece — AFEA Congress, Convin, Era & Erasmus — and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), the This is Athens Convention Bureau, as well as leading organisations and companies across the entire conference organisation ecosystem.

The global IAPCO community gathered at the Acropolis Museum for the official Welcome Reception, marking the start of IAPCO AM&GA Athens 2026 under the theme “The Odyssey Reinvented.” The evening began with an exclusive private tour of the Museum, offering delegates the opportunity to experience one of Greece’s most significant cultural landmarks. (Photos: facebook.com/IAPCO)

The Opening Session was honoured by the presence of Olga Kefalogianni, Minister of Tourism of Greece, representing the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, and Haris Doukas, Mayor of the City of Athens, underscoring the high importance the destination places on the global meetings industry and recognising its far-reaching economic, societal and intellectual impact. (Photos: facebook.com/IAPCO)

In her address, the Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni stressed that "Greece is steadily strengthening its position as a modern, competitive, and outward-looking destination for meetings, conferences, and major international events". The Minister welcomed the delegates to Athens, noting that the selection of the Greek capital to host this event constitutes a vote of confidence in the country and recognition of its growing momentum in the field of international conferences and events. Furthermore, she emphasized that through continuous investments, enhanced air connectivity, and high-level services, the city offers a comprehensive and attractive environment for hosting international meetings and high-standard events. The hosting of the IAPCO General Assembly in Athens marks a significant milestone for Greek tourism and confirms the country’s commitment to strengthening conference tourism. At the same time, the Minister underlined that Greece has a modern and constantly evolving ecosystem for the MICE sector, featuring contemporary conference centers, high-quality services, and specialized human resources. Ms. Kefalogianni also highlighted the country’s unique cultural dimension, noting that cultural venues provide distinctive options for hosting events.

(Source: mintour.gov.gr)

The conference was preceded by the IAPCO Council Meeting, which was held at the Grand Hotel Palace in Thessaloniki, hosted by the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau, from 21 to 24 February (Photo: facebook.com/IAPCO).

Speaking to the an interview with the Athens–Macedonian News Agency, IAPCO CEO Martin Boyle pointed out that Greece is seen as “a kind of hub” for the conference market and an attractive destination. “You don’t need to sell the name ‘Greece’ to an international delegate. The moment someone says ‘Greece,’ they already have in mind an idea of what that name means to them (…) and I think that idea is very positive. On the other hand, I believe that when someone looks at other destinations, they even struggle to define what their brand identity is for an international participant. Here (in Greece), that brand is very strong. So there is a real opportunity for you to capitalize on it”. According to Mr. Boyle, the reduction in duration, combined with a focus on a specific perspective, creates exciting opportunities for conference destinations, which could host more medium-sized conferences within a week instead of fewer large ones. “There are more opportunities for medium-sized conferences, and for cities like Thessaloniki, I believe that a number of 1,500–2,000 delegates is really good,” he noted, while adding that the role of safety for conference participants is becoming increasingly important. In this context, European destinations remain at the center of attention.

(Source: amna.gr)

IAPCO AM&GA Athens 2026. “The Odyssey Reinvented” – A Very Human Journey Toward the Meetings of Tomorrow. Athens is a destination with forward-thinking heritage, vibrant urban culture, and world-class meeting facilities, offering excellent connectivity by air and sea, and sustainable and fast transport from the airport. With its impressive rise in the international meetings industry, Athens has already been established on the global map within the top 10 most popular destinations for congresses. (Source: iapco.org) 

IAPCO President, President & CEO of AFEA CONGRESS, Sissy Lignou stated in an interview with the Athens–Macedonian News Agency that the awarding of the international IAPCO conference to Athens is proof of the recognition of the professionalism and capability of Greek organisers to host an event of such high calibre. It also signals trust in the professional core of the international meetings market (PCOs) and confirms that our country can deliver a top-tier industry event in terms of experience, infrastructure and stakeholder collaboration.

 “We chose the theme “The Odyssey Reinvented” in order to highlight not only the importance of the final destination on the way to achieving our goal, but also the great significance of the journey itself and the ‘experience’ that the organisation of conferences and events can create for each visitor or participant. We present the ‘journey’ as an opportunity, beyond the challenges,” Ms Lignou noted.

As the first Greek president of the international organisation, Ms Lignou believes that Greece possesses a deep tradition of hospitality, strong scientific capital, a dynamic academic community, and highly adaptable professionals. “Our scientists are recognised by international organisations, which turn their attention to our country for hosting their national conferences and events. Greek entrepreneurs excel abroad, making Greece an attractive hub for corporate meetings. In recent years, Greek PCOs have demonstrated that they can operate according to international quality standards, incorporate sustainable practices, and leverage technology in meaningful ways,” she notes. She also emphasizes that “Greece can influence global trends not only as an appealing destination, but as a ‘laboratory’ of innovation in conference and event design. Our country’s authenticity can once again highlight the importance of the human element and genuine interaction in a world dominated by technology.”

(Source: amna.gr)

This is Athens – Convention & Visitors Bureau, established in April 2008, is the business division of the city's international brand and advances Athens in the global tourism and meetings industry. As part of Develop Athens S.A., the City of Athens' development agency, it strategically attracts international tourism and investment, leveraging the city's unique assets and cultural heritage. It has been recognized multiple times as Europe's Leading City Tourist Board at the World Travel Awards. Athens has been awarded "World's Leading Cultural City Destination" for 2024 by the World Travel Awards, continuing its recognition as a top destination.

Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB)is a non-profit member-based organization set up by a group of private companies, leading partners of the events and conventions industry, acting as intermediary link between meeting planners and local service providers, conference centers, venues, hotels, PCOs & DMCs. High professionalism in meetings organization, attractive venues, high standards hotels and a large number of relevant to the industry services, add value the city’s charming profile.

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The Athens Epidaurus Festival is Greece’s leading cultural organisation and one of the oldest running festivals in Europe. Spanning 70 years, the Festival has welcomed some of the greatest music, dance, and theatre artists from both the international and local scenes, in collaboration with prestigious Greek and international organisations, attracting large audiences from around the world (Cover photo: poster of the Festival by Beetroot).

In this landmark year, with 107 unique productions, more than 3,000 artists, across 14 venues and over 95 days, the Athens Epidaurus Festival promises an exciting artistic season aimed at an even broader audience. Legendary figures from the global stage will be featured, alongside the largest participation of young artists in the Festival's history. Of course, the artistic realms that gave birth to the institution and have been at the heart of its programme ever since —Ancient Drama and Classical Music— continue to hold a central role.

Stage Director and Artistic Director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, Katerina Evangelatos, stated that “this anniversary marks a moment of reflection, but also the birth of a new chapter. It is the perfect occasion to reassess the Festival’s relationship with its audience and the contemporary artistic scene”... “In this year’s anniversary programme, we welcome prominent figures of the Arts while simultaneously turning our gaze toward the future, offering a platform to the voices of the younger generation—on a scale unprecedented in our history! In addition, we launch thematic Cycles that draw from Literature and our cultural traditions. We give prominence to formidable women who are leading the way in Theatre, Dance, and Music. We create landmark global events in Epidaurus, unveiling a constellation of productions full of surprises. We invite artists from dozens of countries, making the international character of the festival more pronounced than ever. We initiate public discussions on the pressing agonies of our times, participate in film production, expand our free-access events, embark on new artistic journeys, and establish strategic partnerships that thrust the Festival into its next era”.

ODEON OF HERODES ATTICUS

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus - known as the "Herodeon" - is located on the southern slopes of the Acropolis, on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. Entry to the Odeon is from the pedestrianised Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, a walkway linking Athens’ main archaeological sites (Source: Athens Epidaurus Festival, © Thomas Daskalakis)

The programme at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is defined by a cohesive Classical Music Cycle, featuring stellar names from the global stage. Grand orchestras and remarkable soloists, such as Yuja Wang, Daniil Trifonov, and Emmanuel Ax, will perform this year at the Roman Odeon, while, the supreme soloist Hilary Hahn will be performing with the Münchner Philharmoniker under the baton of conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Joining the celebration will be Greek “international” conductors, Constantinos Carydis and Teodor Currentzis. The programme of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus includes eminent figures of contemporary music, opera performances from the Greek National Opera, a grand tribute to the legacy of Mikis Theodorakis, Dance and Theatre productions.

The programme at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus includes, among other performances (from upper left to lower right): Greek National Opera, Turandot by Giacomo Puccini (June 1-8), Katerina Evangelatos, Hippolytus by Euripides, National Theatre of Greece (June 18-19), The Stranglers (June 23), Athens State Orchestra – Lukas Karytinos – Emanuel Ax, Works by Beethoven and Mendelssohn (June 28) Sydney Dance Company, Impermanence (July 4), The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra – Andrés Orozco-Estrada – Hilary Hahn, Works by Brahms and Dvořák (July 6), Chamber Orchestra of Europe – Constantinos Carydis – Francesco Piemontesi, Works by Koukos, Liszt, Purcell, Berlioz (July 10), Mikis Τheodorakis – Odysseas Elytis, Axion Esti, Athens State Orchestra conducted by Myron Michailidis (July 13), Greek National Opera—Derrick Inouye—Katerina Evangelatos, Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi (July 27-31)

PEIRAIOS 260

The Athens Festival venue at 260 Peiraios Street is a former industrial space  located at the Tavros district of Athens, and shares a city block with the Athens School of Fine Art (Source: Athens Epidaurus Festival)

First-time participants in the Festival, young Greek creators, as well as trailblazing voices from the international stage, will present original works of Theatre and Dance at Peiraios 260. At the heart of this year’s programming lies the representation of as many artistic disciplines and languages as possible, embracing every breath of artistic expression, diverse forms, dramaturgies, repertoires, and creative contributors. However, the 70^th anniversary of the Festival would not be complete without some legendary figures, whose journeys have been intertwined not only with the history of the institution, such as Ariane Mnouchkine and the historic Théâtre du Soleil, and the visual artist and director William Kentridge.

The programme at Peiraios 260 includes, among other performances (from upper left to lower right): Christina Gouzelis - Paul Blackman, Far from the End (June 6-8), Back to Back Theatre, The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes (June 6-8), Idio Chichava, Vagabundus (June 6-8), El Conde de Torrefiel, La luz de un lago (June 12-14), Alexandra Waierstall, HEART MOMENT (June 12-13), Io Voulgaraki, Comemadre, based on the book by Roque Larraquy (june 13-16), Alexandros Stavropoulos, Who’s gonna tell her? (June 14-16), Thanasis Dovris, Sotiria, based on the short story collection by Chara Romvi (June 19-21), Faye Driscoll, Weathering (June 27-29)

Panagiota Kallimani Somehow, if not, at all, together (June 27-28), Carolina Bianchi—Cara de Cavalo, The Bride and the Goodnight Cinderella /A Noiva e o Boa Noite Cinderela (July 5-6), Christos Thanos, War correspondents (July 5-8), Emily Louizou, Blindness, Based on the novel by José Saramago (July 5-8),  Miet Warlop, INHALE DELIRIUM EXHALE (July 7-8), Dafin Antoniadou, Darkest White (July 21-22), Katerina Giannopoulou, Phenomenon, By Greg Liakopoulos (July 21-24),  Sofia Antoniou, Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman Based on the book by Didier Eribon (July 21-24), Patricia Apergi, Hystory (July 21-24)

Handspring Puppet Company – William Kentridge, Faustus in Africa! (June 20-22). Within a meticulously orchestrated universe—populated almost entirely by puppets!— Kentridge tells the story of the protagonist who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for unlimited joy and everlasting youth—this time, setting it in Africa!

Live at the Platea: Live performances will take place throughout the artistic programme at Peiraios 260, following the main performances. Musical groups performing a diverse array of styles—from gypsy jazz, funk, and Latin to hip-hop, world music, and Balkan rhythms (May 30-July 27)

ANCIENT THEATER OF EPIDAURUS

The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is located within the archaeological site of the Sanctuary of Asklepios, in the Argolis prefecture of the Peloponnese. It is a half-hour drive from Nafplio and approximately two hours from Athens (Source: Athens Epidaurus Festival)

A cornerstone of programming at Epidaurus, Ancient Drama remains the unwavering protagonist of a rich, pulsating tradition that constantly seeks new avenues of expression and communication with the current cultural momentum. In recent years, the Festival has designed and established initiatives that strengthen research, foster fruitful dialogue, and renew the genre. The Contemporary Ancients Cycle, is a project celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. From 2021 to 2024, thirteen original works have been presented at both theatres of Epidaurus by internationally acclaimed creators who responded to our call, demonstrating the timeless appeal of ancient myths.

This year, the Cycle is significantly enriched, among others by the distinguished dramaturg and director Wajdi Mouawad who will present Europa’s pledge, leading an international cast, celebrated French film actress Juliette Binoche.  Masters of theatrical Αrt, such as Theodoros Terzopoulos, Yannis Houvardas, and Michail Marmarinos, will bring their creations to the stage of the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus—a distillation of their remarkable journey in Theatre.

National Theatre of Northern Greece - Cyprus Theatre Organisation - Michail Marmarinos, ζ – η – θ The stranger, A return to the sources: a visit to three Odyssey rhapsodies (July 11-12)

Yannis Houvardas: Oedipus, Ancient Theater of Epidaurus. The story of a transformation: from darkness to light.  (July 25-26)

National Theatre – Theodoros Terzopoulos, Oresteia by Aeschylus (August 22-23)

LITTLE THEATER OF ANCIENT EPIDAURUS

The Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus is located in the Argolis prefecture of the Peloponnese. It is a half-hour drive from Nafplio and approximately two hours from Athens (Source: Athens Epidaurus Festival, © Thomas Daskalakis)

At the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, the month of July is purely dedicated to the Contemporary Ancients Cycle, featuring a programme not strictly theatrical but also rich in music-theatre and film projects, initiating an intriguing fusion of diverse genres and languages that proposes a brave and multi-dimensional approach for the future.

In an unexpected collaboration, the Festival joins hands with the Hellenic Film Academy to produce a film inspired by Sophocles’ Electra, directed by seven filmmakers—a direct nod to the seven decades of the institution’s existence.

GRAPE

GRAPE, the platform dedicated to promoting and exporting Greek performing arts worldwide, has reached its third year and become an indispensable part of the Festival. This year’s edition (July 21–26) welcomes more than 90 guests from over 30 countries. Alongside its rich programme of dynamic Greek artists—whose work will be showcased to artistic directors and heads of programming from across the globe—it launches a major collaboration with the European Festivals Association, and hosts an international forum on performing arts on July 23.

Greek artistic performances presented in the framework of GRAPE 2025. The performances included are also scheduled on dates outside the duration of the platform

SUBSET FESTIVAL – ATHENS CONSERVATOIRE

The Athens Conservatoire remains a steadfast companion in the organisation of the Subset Festival—returning this year with a more pronounced international character than ever. Featuring Ryoji Ikeda, Mouse on Mars ft. Dodo NKishi, Christina Vantzou, and many more artists and soloists, ensembles, and groups from Greece and abroad, the festival further boasts workshops, commissioned works, sound installations, and an enveloping electrifying atmosphere that showcases the new music right here in the heart of Athens. The series of concerts will take place across the Ioannis Despotopoulos Amphitheatre, the New Stage, and the Arts’ Foyer of the Athens Conservatoire.

VISUAL ARTS

On the occasion of the 70^th anniversary of the Festival, Objects of Common Interest, the award-winning design studio, presents an innovative light installation at the spaces of Peiraios 260. The installation consists of tube lights in various shapes, arranged in countless configurations (June 1 – July 24)

Tenant is the title of a video installation by artist and video designer Pantelis Makkas, presented at Peiraios 260: a translucent house filled with images born and crafted for theatrical productions in which he has collaborated over the past fifteen years (July 5-24)

A travel back in time through posters that have adorned the Athens Epidaurus Festival during its 70 consecutive years of operation. In order of appearance, creators of the posters are (from  upper left to lower right): 1955 Giorgos Anemogiannis, 1968 Nikos Kostopoulos, 1975 Nikos Kostopoulos, 1989 Nikos Kostopoulos, 1994 Takis, 2022 Kostas Tsoklis, 2017 Iphigenia Vasileiou, 2024 Beetroot (Source: Athens Epidaurus Festival)

I.A.

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The modern city of Athens is often perceived as a concrete jungle filled with tall apartment buildings; this building type, the polykatoikía, and its omnipresence in the Greek capital, is often considered to be dreary and unartistic. In recent years, however, the polykatoikía has been the subject of a reappraisal by academics, architects and urban theorists. The architectural, social and economic significance of these modernist apartment blocks, which line one street after another, has been revisited in the light of historical and contemporary urban contexts. A more anthropocentric vision is therefore applied, highlighting values such as simplicity and accessibility, as well as the liveliness and sociability of the city.

Background: Modern architecture and Greek exoticism

In 1933, the Fourth Congress of the Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM IV) was held in Athens, bringing together dozens of renowned architects from all over the world to discuss the new modern city of their time. Iconic architect Le Corbusier was among its organizers. The congress proved to be a turning point for modern Greek architecture, offering it a unique opportunity to define its identity in relation to the international avant-garde.

The conference culminated in the Athens Charter, which laid the foundation for urban planning based on four key functions: housing, work, recreation, and circulation. It advocated for the zoning of cities to improve living conditions, a concept that shaped post-war urban development.

The urban sprawl of Athens, an ancient city that returned to prominence as the capital of the modern Greek state in the first half of the 19th century, was not the result of industrial development, but rather of a series of events that led to population flows to the big cities. Yet a number of important modern buildings (schools, residential buildings, factories etc.) had just been completed in Athens.

Greek architects' faith in modern architecture was also demonstrated in an imaginative way by connecting modern architecture with traditional Greek architecture, which at the time seemed exotic to everyone. Greek architectural features (particularly those of the Cycladic islands) such as simple structures, abstract forms, absence of decoration, emphasis on functionality, etc. were considered modernist characteristics, if not the foundation of modernism (Kostas Tsiambaos, 2020 [in Greek]).

“Antiparochi”: the way to apartment building supremacy

In the post-war period, the Greek Civil War of 1946-49, together with a shift from rural work to industrial labor, led to a continued migration from the countryside to the big cities. This created an urgent need for housing, leading to the intense urbanization of the Greek capital after 1950. During this period and until the late 1970s, the population of Athens’ metropolitan area more than doubled, with the entire city experiencing an unprecedented construction boom.

In the central neighborhoods of Athens it was difficult to find enough space for the construction of apartment buildings. The 1929 law of horizontal ownership helped create the system of antiparochi, which could be roughly translated as "counter-providing": a landowner could turn over a plot of land to a constructor, who would build a where a polykatoikía where one or two-story house used to stand. In return, they would gain ownership of an agreed number of apartments in the finished building. Given that the Greek state could not afford to directly finance a social housing program, this system helped give the working classes access to low-cost housing. (By way of illustration, in 2011, 93.3% of the population of the municipality of Athens lived in multi-storey buildings, 75.5% of which were built before 1980.)

Whereas the multi-storey buildings of the inter-war period were designed by renowned architects such as Kitsikis, Nikolaidis and Panagiotakos, who sought to develop a modern urban typology using decorative forms from Art Deco, Bauhaus and Cubism, the polykatoikía of the post-war period became a product of real estate speculation for building contractors. Easily reproducible thanks to standardized plans, quick to erect and simple to finance, it became widespread as a type of housing for the working classes.

Building contractors would build apartment buildings, often selling the apartments before construction was completed; the first plans were drawn up in order to obtain a building permit, sometimes with minimal input from an architect, whose name did not always appear on official documents. These plans were based on “turnkey” sketches that could be easily adapted to a wide variety of situations  (Olga Moatsou-Ess, 2018).

Even this period, however, saw the creation of some important buildings by renowned architects of the time such as Valsamakis, Konstantinidis and Tombazis. These types of polykatoikía, addressed at the upper classes, were featured in leading architectural journals, introducing a European-influenced modernity that helped shape a new generation of Greek architects.

From strong criticism to reappraisal

The antiparochi system has been much lamented, blamed for the architectural homogenization and even the perceived “ugliness” of Athens – and the rest of Greece’s large urban centers. It should be noted that the absence of state planning of urban development, particularly during the 1960s-1970s, contributed to a lack of urban cohesion, with negative impacts on both aesthetics and the environment.

The houses formerly occupying the sites where uniform concrete apartment blocks would be built were often residential houses of the neoclassical rhythm; neoclassicism was the first architectural style introduced in Athens. Some of the most important buildings of the late 19^th and early 20^th century are still preserved today. However, the vast majority of the less historic ones vanished as a result of the construction boom.

Nostalgia for a time when small streets were lined with quaint houses, and neighbors could sit and chat in backyards full of flower pots, often makes people hostile towards the bleak facades of concrete apartment buildings. However, in their reminiscences, people tend to overlook the fact that many of the older buildings, especially the smaller ones where poorer families resided, were far from what one would call comfortable: the electricity grid was often rudimentary, there was no central heating and often no proper bathrooms – the lavatory was usually an outhouse and people would often bathe in small tubs filled with water from the sink. The then-new apartment buildings didn’t just offer affordable housing, but also a good quality of life.

This attitude is however slowly changing. As journalist Harry van Versendaal points out, the “stereotypical image of the Greek capital as a cluttered concrete jungle, has, in recent years, undergone a reappraisal […] Scholars, architects and urban theorists have increasingly reevaluated the architectural, social and economic significance of these modernist apartment buildings”.

This reevaluation is reflected in various publications and events, such as Goethe Institute’s exhibition Athens’ Polykatoikias 1930-1975: Formation of a Typology; addressing the opening of the exhibition, Myrto Kiourti, an award-winning Athens-based architect, said that, thanks to the values of Modern architecture, “Athens achieved one of Modernism’s main goals: decent housing for all”.

According to British architect, critic and historian Kenneth Frampton, the apartment block in Athens is a unique modern manifestation of urban development, resulting from the spontaneous evolution of society, rather than from planned intervention.

The Athenian polykatoikía has been the subject of the Ioanna Theocharopoulou’s book Builders, Housewives and the Construction of Modern Athens (Onassis Publications, 2022), which offers a critical re-evaluation of the city as a successful adaptation to circumstance, enriching our understanding of urbanism as a truly collective design activity. Theocharopoulou, an architect and architectural historian, re-evaluates the polykatoikía as a low-tech, easily constructible innovation that stimulated the postwar urban economy, triggering the city’s social mid-twentieth-century transformation.

According to her, the process of creating a broader middle class through real estate development contributed to the reduction of the social, ideological and cultural divides of the interwar period, as well as healing the wounds of the civil war.

Inspired by Theocharopoulou’s book, a documentary of the same title has been made by film directors Tassos Langis and Yiannis Gaitanidis. As they stated, they used the book as a starting point and guide as they “delved into the cracks of our modern urban history to trace the internal immigrants who were the ‘co-authors’ of our built environment”.

Builders, Housewives and the Construction of Modern Athens at the Onassis Channel on YouTube:

Athenian modernism once more at the forefront

A different take on the Athenian urban landscape was identified as early as the 2000s. Impressively, Greece's participation in the 2002 Venice Biennale was entitled “Athens 2002: Absolute Realism”. Athenian modernism is once again in the spotlight, but no longer through “official” modernism. It is not the image of a tourist Athens that is showcased, but the anonymous, graffitied, marginal and even “ugly” aspects of the city.

In 2016 the online platform “Social Atlas of Athens” was created with the aim of highlighting and recording the social geography of Athens. The platform, supported by the Onassis Foundation, aims to raise awareness of the key structures and processes shaping the city's social fabric.

Similarly, research at pan-European level has begun to treat Athens' “anonymous” modernity differently. Doctoral theses and research projects at leading institutions in Europe and America (Richard Woditsch, Olga Moatsou, Plato Isaias, Ioanna Theocharopoulou etc.), were now discussing the common and typical Athenian apartment building in terms of an alternative, “marginal” modernity, one that distanced itself from the experience of the developed world.

Theocharopoulou, for example, introduces new conceptual tools to document the particularities of this development, drawing on a number of different sources, which are not limited to the architectural and urban history of Athens but extend to social history, anthropology, gender studies, the evolution of language and the study of shadow theater.

For its advocates, the concept of polykatoikía ultimately embodies the fundamental philosophy of modernist architecture: “Form follows function” - the appearance and structure of a building must be determined first and foremost by its use and purpose. As they point out: “The true beauty of a city lies in the way it is inhabited. Athens is an attractive city. However, it is attractive not because of its beautiful buildings, but because of its attractive way of life.”

N.M. (Partly based on the article “The ‘polykatoikia’ of the 1960s-1970s as an essential element of Athens' “anonymous” modernity” which appeared on Grèce Hebdo)

Read also via Greek News Agenda: The Fourth CIAM Congress of 1933 in Athens and the foundations of Western urbanism; Open House Athens: “Future Heritage: The Architecture of Today, the Heritage of Tomorrow”; Bookshelf: Exploring Greek Architecture

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Four new museums opened in Athens during the past year, further enriching the Greek capital’s vibrant cultural scene.  Dedicated to painting, music, poetry and sports respectively each museum unveils a chapter of Greece’ enduring cultural narrative.

Alekos Fasianos Museum

The Alekos Fassianos Museum was designed and remodeled by architect Kyriakos Krokos, in collaboration with the artist Alekos Fassianos himself; it was completed in 1995 and it opened to the public in 2023.  The location of the museum is where the artist’s family home used to be back in the 1930s and until the 1970s. The museum is run by the Alekos Fassianos Estate and aims at facilitating research into the creator’s oeuvre by opening a dialogue with fellow artists, researchers, curators and the public.

Alekos Fassianos (1935 2022) was a renowned Greek painter who gained recognition for his distinctive style, which was characterized by immediacy and a deliberate departure from standardized painting techniques.  A student of Yannis Moralis at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he studied from 1956 to 1960, he continued with studies in lithography in Paris (1960-1963), on a scholarship from the French government. In the following years he took to dividing his time between the Greek and French capitals.  Among his appearances in international exhibitions are included the Biennales of Sao Paolo (1971), Venice (1972), and Graphics at Baden-Baden (1958).

Ancient Greek vase painting, the Byzantine and folk traditions, the painting of Theophilos and various types of modern art are all to be found at the basis of Fassianos’ artistic creation, which through clear and uniform color, free and skilled draughtsmanship, a “childlike” feeling, and sensitivity of rendering, result in highly personal formations. His work is dominated by the human figure – characteristic are the figures of the bicyclist and the smoker, which crop up again and again.

The exhibition space aims to focus on the diverse artistic practice of Alekos Fassianos. Presenting works from 1956 to the end of his life, the exhibition introduces the viewer to Fassianos’ development as an artist. Showcasing works from the early years in Paris in the 1960s and his brief influence from abstract art to the inspiration he later draws from Byzantine art with the use of gold leaves and a darker color palette, a series of paintings of his widely celebrated way of painting as well as collages and mixed media works. The exhibition also pays tribute to his neighborhood, Agios Pavlos. The “Myth of his neighborhood” unfolds through a series of works representing local life in the 40s, 50s and 60s in Athens.

The Alekos Fassianos Museum is significant to the contemporary artistic and architectural map of Athens for it is one of the few museums in the world in which the complicity between artist and architect underpins a dialogue between the works and the space that houses them.

Cavafy archive

Following the publication of the digital collection of the Cavafy Archive in March 2019, the Onassis Foundation created the Cavafy Archive, a tailor-made space in Athens dedicated to the poet’s archive, which was inaugurated in November 2023. The Cavafy Archive is situated on Frynichou Street in the central Plaka neighbourhood and houses over 2,000 items, including manuscripts of poems, literary works, articles and notes of Constantine Cavafy, the influential Greek poet, journalist, and civil servant from Alexandria.

Born on April 29, 1863 in Alexandria, Egypt, where he died on the same day in 1933, Constantine Cavafy is the leading poet of the Diaspora, writing in Greek far from Greek lands. The body of his poetry includes the 154 poems of the “canon”, 37 “repudiated poems”, most of which are juvenilia written in romantic katharevousa, 75 “hidden” poems that were found finished in his papers, and 30 “unfinished” poems. His poems often feature historical figures or creations of the poet’s imagination, with frequent references to familiar or less familiar elements of Homeric, Hellenistic, and Byzantine years. Today his poetry comprises a discrete pole in Greek literature, and he enjoys a prominent place in world literature as well.

The aim was to create a space for the poet’s writings and books, his personal items and furniture, surrounded by artworks that enable us to gain an in-depth understanding of his growing impact on artists from his era until today, a space open to researchers and the public, open to all.

The newly designed Cavafy Archive introduces three accessible rooms for visitors: one exhibiting C. P. Cavafy's personal items, another dedicated to Cavafy's experiences in Athens, and the Reading Room. Following standard archival practices, the archive and library are housed within a specially arranged space.

The rooms displaying the poet's personal belongings and furniture reflect the ambiance of his private space in Alexandria. Amid family photographs, vases, frames, a copy of his glasses, his desk, and other tiny and large objects, six portraits of the poet by contemporary artists stand out. Unique among the exhibited items are the poet's untouched possessions: his death mask, as well as the first edition of Cavafy's poems, edited by Rica Singopoulo and illustrated by Takis Kalmouchos, which was printed in 1935 following the poet's death.

In 'The Athens of Cavafy,' the pages from Cavafy's diaries during his trips to Athens stand out, along with a plethora of letters and notes expressing admiration and emotion for the work of the Alexandrian poet by Grigorios Xenopoulos, Ion Dragoumis, Angelos Sikelianos, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Tellos Agras, Napoleon Lapathiotis, and the lawyer and economist Georgios Charitakis, who conveyed Kostis Palamas' praise for Cavafy's work, among others.

Maria Callas Museum

The Maria Callas Museum is the first museum dedicated to the Greek soprano who became an opera legend; it opened its doors to the public in October 2023, in the heart of Athens. The museum was inaugurated on the occasion of the centenary of the artist’s birth, which was included in UNESCO’s list of anniversaries for 2023; it aims to introduce the general public to the career and personality of the internationally renowned soprano, while highlighting the elements of her technique that made her unique.

The museum features more than 1,000 items belonging to or associated with Callas, including priceless historical artefacts such as rare live recordings, personal items, record collections, sheet music, photographs, dresses, jewelry and much more. The collection was made possible by contributions and donations from various institutions and private owners.

Read more on our extensive Greek News Agenda article on the Maria Callas Museum.

Athens Olympic museum

Τhe Athens Olympic Museum, operating under the aegis of the International Olympic Committee and the Hellenic Olympic Committee aims to showcase the Olympic Games from antiquity to date; the spirit of fair play as a universal value; Greece’s critical role in promoting Olympism; Athens as an Olympic Capital, while at the same paying tribute to Greek athletes and presenting the Greek Olympic and Paralympic Champions who have won medals. The Museum of Athens is located next to the renovated Olympic Facilities, in the suburb of Maroussi, where the International Radio and Television Center was housed during the 2004 Athens Olympics and it is connected through a footbridge to the Olympic Stadium of Athens "Spyros Louis" (OAKA).

The Athens Olympic Museum is organized like a journey thought the history of the Olympic Games, through a chronological narration, highlighting three milestones of the Olympic Games: their birth in Ancient Olympia, their revival in Athens 1896 and the return of the Games in Greece during Athens 2004. The principles and values of the Olympic Movement are also showcased through an interactive multimedia exhibition.

The Museum aims to highlight the concept of “Agon” (endeavor in English). the effort to surpass oneself in all aspects of life. The idea of the “Agon” was the inspiration behind the design of the Permanent Exhibition of the Museum, an exhibition of Olympic Games memorabilia, athletes’ testimonies, and artefacts from Greek antiquity to present.

The Museum adopts state-of-the-art recreational learning techniques, offering a plethora of interpretive media, interactive exhibits (hybrid and digital), installations with original items and heirlooms, from antiquity to modern Olympic Games, composing a unique experiential expedition for the visitor. Be sure not the miss the project Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds, a collaboration between the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and Microsoft, is a mixed reality exhibition, using Artificial Intelligence to digitally preserve and restore the site of Ancient Olympia. Visitors can digitally navigate and explore the ancient site, as it stood more than 2,000 years ago.

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Hadrian's Aqueduct in Athens is the only Roman aqueduct of this type and size that has been constructed in Europe and that still carries water. This monumental technical construction of the ancient world does not only have great cultural value, but it can also be utilized to reduce the city's environmental footprint.

The Greek government is supporting a multi-dimensional plan to put this ancient aqueduct back into use, in order both to cover current needs for irrigation water, and to develop new places of cultural and environmental interest. The restoration of Hadrian's aqueduct is part of the sustainable development strategy of the Water Supply and Sanitation Agency of Athens (EYDAP), undertaken in cooperation the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Attica region and the municipalities concerned.

The History of Hadrian´s Aqueduct

Hadrian's Aqueduct is a marvel of engineering:  its construction begun in 125 AD, it was completed in 140 AD, and it remained the main water supply for the wider region for centuries, operating without any change until the time of the Ottoman Occupation, in 1456. The aqueduct was designed through drilling 465 water-wells along the length of its alignment design; the running waters came from extracting water though the underground aquifers as well as from water streams that the aqueduct came across.

The underground tunnels of the ancient aqueduct start at the top of Mount Parnitha, in the north of Athens, and end up in the upscale district of Kolonaki, at the heart of the Greek capital, covering a distance of approximately 25 kilometers. The aqueduct connects various suburbs in Attica, running under seven municipalities: Acharnes, Metamorfosi, Heraklion, Marousi, Halandri, Pilothei-Psychiko and Athens and still proving water that is suitable for irrigation and other non-drinking uses.

Due to the inclination, water flows naturally inside the aqueduct’s underground tunnel (of 1,2m -1,6m height and 0,8m width). The aqueduct’s reservoir was abandoned during the Ottoman Empire’s occupation, causing most residents to become reliant on wells. Restoration of the aqueduct began in 1847, and the aqueduct was cleaned and repaired at various times between 1870 and 1932 – when parts of it were included in the new water supply network of Athens that the Ulen water company constructed. In 1929 with the completion of the Marathon Dam, the Hadrian aqueduct ceased to be the main provider of water for the city of Athens, although it continued to work as a supplementary source for many years.

Today, Hadrian's Aqueduct is destroyed in several places due to its disrepair and the development of the city above it (engineering works related to the construction of the metro, Olympic Games, etc.). To date, 390 water-wells of the original 456 wells of aqueduct have been located; 228 of them are visible and 174 can be found in public spaces.

Restoring the Hadrian Aqueduct

In 2018, engineers and scientists from EYDAP (public Water Supply and Sanitation Agency of Athens) and the National Technical University of Athens, have started exploring Hadrian’s Aqueduct in order to estimate the quantity and the quality water supply of the network, so that it can be used for the irrigation of public land in the city.

In 2021 EYDAP announced that, with the aim of highlighting the aqueduct as a monument and reutilizing it as a water supply source, it is providing the resources for the strategic planning of the project of the restoration of the Hadrian Aqueduct.

The restoration project aims to preserve the monument; use its underground waters in local irrigation; green the areas through which it passes in order to reduce the average temperature of Athens, and to enhance its sustainability by connecting it to local cultural, educational and economic activities.  The development of the aqueduct is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Attica region and the seven municipalities concerned. “The underground water route from Parnitha to the center of Athens can evolve into conduit for development, greening and more oxygen for all the municipalities through which it passes. EYDAP is ready to offer everything needed for the success of the joint effort”, according to a statement by Harry Sachinis, the CEO of EYDAP.

So far, EYDAP, in cooperation with the Municipality of Halandri and 6 other partners, participates in the project CULTURAL H.ID.RA.N.T. The project, implemented through the European program Urban Innovative Actions and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, focuses on the utilization of the non-drinking water of Hadrian's Aqueduct for the Municipality of Halandri, as well as highlighting the Aqueduct as a monument of great cultural value.

The project is running since 2020; it is a particularly innovative urban regeneration project, based on the principles of sustainability and rational water management. Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T.  raises heritage awareness through the re-exploitation of water from the Hadrian Aqueduct, the regeneration of Hadrian routes and the transformation of urban spots into Hadrian-watered “urban gardens”. As a result, water becomes a kind of cultural heritage ambassador, while the same time, cultural heritage re-initiates sustainable water use.

Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T gained worldwide acclaim as the Municipality of Halandri won the first prize for it in the 6th International Competition of Urban Innovation of Guangzhou, in the category "Sustainable Management of Cultural Heritage”. The awards were presented on Thursday, December 7 2023, as part of the Global Mayors Forum.  The project and the Municipality of Halandri had qualified for the final among 274 nominations from 193 municipalities in 54 countries, as one of the leading examples of urban innovation.

I.L., based on the article L’aqueduc d’Hadrien d’Athènes | Un rare monument romain, voire une ressource en eau précieuse by sister publication Grèce Hebdo and information from EYDAP, CULTURAL H.ID.RA.N.T. and the Municipality of Halandri.

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The Athens Development and Destination Management Agency (EATA) plans and implements development and promotion projects to improve the city's image as an ideal destination for visitors, professionals and investors.

Through its programs, the company focuses on promoting innovation, competitiveness and entrepreneurship, placing a special emphasis on the tourism and culture sectors, the smart and sustainable management of Athens' urban environment, and the promotion of social cohesion and inclusion.

An important field of activity of EATA is its work as a DMO (Destination Management Organization) to promote Athens as a tourist and business destination. In this context, it develops dynamic tools, innovative actions and alliance strategies with the private sector. Examples include the "This is Athens" city guide, the This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Athens Film Office, and the This is Athens & Partners partnership.

This is Athens digital guide

The digital guide This is Athens is designed according to the international standards of web and mobile environment. It targets the city’s visitors and also urban tourism professionals, improving visitor service and providing information on multiple thematic sections.

The site's content is presented in three different languages (English, German, and French), it covers an array of themes (gastronomy, sightseeing, travel planning), with articles and tips for the city of Athens.

This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau

The aim of the This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau is to implement all of EATA’s projects which are related to convention tourism. Since its establishment in 2008, it has highlighted the potential of Athens as a destination for leisure, urban tourism (city breaks), conferences and corporate meetings. Its activities enhance the existing tourism infrastructure, and it promotes the city’s competitive identity to the international market.

Athens Film Office

The Athens Film Office (AFO) was established in 2020 by the Municipality of Athens with the aim of attracting international productions to the Greek capital, promoting it as a film-friendly destination. Following the example of major European cities and taking into account the dynamic development of the audiovisual media industry in the country in recent years, the Athens Film Office aspires to showcase Athens as an ideal filming location for international cinema and television productions, and also for commercial advertising productions, by facilitating with the necessary procedures and offering incentives to attract producers. The office has already assisted with the filming of numerous international film productions in Athens.

This is Athens & Partners

In the context of the strategic development and promotion of Athens as a destination for international markets, the Municipality of Athens, through EATA, collaborates with private entities, helping to stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the city. In November 2016, This is Athens & Partners was created as a partnership between the Municipality of Athens, AEGEAN Airlines and the Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos". Subsequently, the partnership was expanded with the participation of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) and other major tourism organizations such as Lamda Development, TEMES Group and Lampsa Hellenic Hotels.

The cooperation focuses on three main axes:

- Destination development with investments and public space redevelopment actions with the participation of residents and professionals of the city

- Destination management by coordinating actions to create a comprehensive visitor experience.

- Destination promotion with the aim of highlighting Athens' identity in international markets.

Tourism Development

In addition to partnerships with private sector entities, EATA supports the strategic and investment priorities of the Municipality of Athens by securing financial resources through European programs. The purpose of the programs is to strengthen the economy with projects related to the development of Athens through the redevelopment of the public space and its services for residents and visitors, and the international promotion of the city as a year-round destination.

EATA's priorities include strengthening business activities in Athens, with the aim of stimulating local markets, but also promoting the city as an international investment destination. At the same time, the company develops projects and programs with the aim of addressing phenomena of social exclusion and ensuring social cohesion.

N.M. (Translated from an original article in Punto Grecia; source images: EATA/This is Athens)

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A supporter of radical modernism, Takis Ch. Zenetos is recognized as one of the leading figures of 20th century Greek architecture. An indefatigable researcher with an excellent knowledge of technology and an internationally renowned designer, Zenetos has designed visionary projects that meet the requirements of a world much more advanced than the Greece of the 1970s. Takis Zenetos was born in Athens in 1926. In 1945 he left to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, taking courses in the architecture studio of Otello Zavaroni. His life in post-war Paris, a city animated by avant-garde artistic and cultural currents, had a great impact on his work.

In 1952 he finished his studies at the École, and in 1953 he presented his diploma thesis on "Micropolis - Autonomous residential unit". He returned to Greece in 1955 and opened an architecture office in collaboration with Margaritis Apostolidis. The first years of his professional activity were particularly fruitful. His works were published in many European architectural magazines and Zenetos completed a total of 120 projects, among which is the spatial planning of the Attica Basin, many industrial buildings as well as important apartment buildings and private residencies.

His works include the renovation of the Fix Factory at Syggrou Avenue (now the seat of Greece's National Contemporary Art Museum, EMST), the residence in Glyfada, 21 Xanthou Street (1961), the apartment building on 17 Herodus Atticus Street (1959), the School of Agios Dimitrios (known as Stroghylo, 1972), the residence in Kavouri (1959) and the Lycabettus Theater (1964), all found in Athens and its surroundings. Zenetos also made architectural plans in other regions of Greece, notably for the Kyknos tomato factory in the Peloponnese (Savalia, 1963), and his unrealized projects for the Liakota hotel in Plakias (Crete). Zenetos' buildings reveal an environmentally friendly architecture that highlights the use of the most advanced technologies of his time.

His small works, private villas built in Attica, showcase the more personal elements of his architecture. In an age dominated by massive construction, Zenetos argued that the human dwelling should be the highest product of modern civilization and considered it necessary to remove the box cube of the modern house and integrate it into the environment. The work of Takis Zenetos was highly appreciated by a small circle of young architects, many of whom he significantly influenced. Among his great works of a theoretical type, we must retain his concept and research on "Electronic Urbanism” and its his urban plans for new settlements in coastal Greece.

Zenetos had envisioned the evolution of the city, not only in Greece but also in the entire West. He had foreseen the technological developments that would affect human life and activities, and in the following years he would try to formulate his own view of its ideal form and build buildings that would serve it. The quintessence of Takis Zenetos' urban planning and spatial planning philosophy is contained in his research, as formulated in his proposal for "Electronic Urbanism” (1952), i.e. in the integration of the most recent conquests of electronic science and technology into the daily life of man. 

The basic idea of Electronic Urbanism [which Zenetos designed, developed and investigated from 1952 to 1974] is the creation of a system with diverse levels and locations for different urban functions, primarily residential, suspended from natural environments [as cantilevers or mountains] and integrated with all sorts of communications technologies, that allow wide-ranging connections among people and social groups. The extensive use of tele-work, tele-management, tele-medicine and tele-education redefines this new human environment, geared towards free communication and creative occupation.

As Marianna Charitonidou explains in her article for journal 'urban science', Takis Zenetos’s “Electronic Urbanism” was based on the development of electronic applications in the realms of what was called “tele-management,” “tele-work” and “tele-services.” Zenetos started developing his ideas regarding autonomous living units designed for “Electronic Urbanism” in 1952, when he was still a student at the École de Beaux Arts in Paris. He presented aspects of the project —from large models including several buildings to prototypes of furniture— on several occasions, such as the Exhibition of the Modern Housing Organization in Athens in 1962, and at the first Construction Exhibition at the Zappeion in 1971.

Zenetos was convinced that “Electronic Urbanism” would help citizens save the time that they normally used to commute to work, and would allow them to spend this time on more creative activities, at or near their homes. He prophesied in a sense the idea of working from home, and believed that both architecture and urban planning should be reshaped in order to respond to this new concept. He supported the design of special public spaces in residential units, aiming to accommodate the inhabitants during working hours.

The co-existence of different parts of this urban grid with a road network that is temporarily suspended in the air corresponds to the period of the automobile boom. The grid acts as an envelope to the city, working in three phases; in the last phase we can see the complete reunification and recovery of natural areas, while all functions are placed upon a system of cables suspended in the air, something that reminds us of the Spatial City by Yona Friedman. Even if Zenetos didn’t have the opportunity to know if the ideas behind Electronic Urbanism would have worked or not, his approach to technologies focused on telecommunications, was really innovative for the time.

“Electronic Urbanism” not only constitutes an artistic contribution to experimental architecture, but is also characterized by a new social vision, promising to resynchronize practices of daily life. Placing an early emphasis on electronic technology, Zenetos is perhaps a unique case of an early representative of the digital generation of architects. Takis Ch. Zenetos died by suicide on June 29, 1977. After the recent interventions in two of his most important works in Athens (Fix Factory /EMST and Lycabettus Theatre) the importance of his contribution to modern Greek architecture comes to the fore again, inviting new interpretations.

Read more via Greek News Agenda:

Constantinos Doxiadis: The Greek visionary who built cities for the world

Tomorrows - Urban fictions for possible futures

 I.L.

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The new programme of the recently renovated National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum was presented in Athens along with the new vision of the Gallery’s director Syrago Tsiara. Through the motto ‘A National Gallery for Everyone’, the art historian Tsiara aims to bring the Gallery’s collections and history into a fruitful dialogue with the needs of today’s society and contemporary intellectual currents wishing to make the National Gallery more environmentally conscious, pluralistic, open and inclusive.

National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum. Source ERT 

The National Gallery, founded in 1900, is the most important art gallery in Greece. With around 20,000 works of art including paintings, sculptures and prints, predominantly from Greek -but also international- artists, dating from the post-Byzantine era to the contemporary era the National Gallery is, without exaggeration, the guardian of the country’s art history.

Yiannis Moralis "Funeral Composition", 1958 © National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum

The new programme will move around the following axes: the overall planning of the exhibition and other artistic programming, the education of the public, the preservation, documentation, maintenance, management, study, exhibition and enrichment of the collections, the promotion of research, and the strengthening of the connection of the National Gallery with the artistic and scientific community. The attraction of new categories of public, the improvement of the Gallery’s daily operation as well as the support of operation of its annexes across Greece are also among the Gallery’s priorities.

Τhe following exhibitions, events and activities are included in the new programme:

Extension of the exhibition of Konstantinos Parthenis
- The exhibition “Konstantinos Parthenis (1878–1967) – Painting an Ideal Greece” dedicated to the oeuvre of one of the most outstanding figures of modern Greek painting, is extended until February 28, 2023.
- In this context, a scientific meeting on the impact of Theosophism on the Visual Arts will be held on January 13, 2023 in an effort to investigate the strong influence of this movement to artists such as Piet Mondrian, Kazimir Malevich and Konstantinos Parthenis.
- A theatrical performance, based on a historical text by Nikos Yokarinis from 1930, is the second event planned for February 2023. Its theme is the quarrels surrounding the artistic attitude of Konstantinos Parthenis, a psychographic and social study with a topical and timeless character.

Konstantinos Parthenis "Large Nude", 1925 © National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum

"Urban Experience" in the 1950s - 1960s - 1970s in visual arts and cinema (spring 2023)
A group exhibition of 45-50 Greek artists will be held in collaboration with the Greek Film Archive launching the new exhibition program in the spring-early summer of 2023. The exhibition treats the city as an experience, examines urbanization, reconstruction and immigration – internal and external – in the context of the rapid changes that occurred in Greek society after the war. Through an inter-sectoral approach, the exhibition aims to illustrate these changes through the relationship between the visual arts and cinema.

‘Democracy and Art in Greece, Spain and Portugal’ (2024)
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece in 2024 the National Gallery will launch a major international exhibition on how artists were inspired by struggles against authoritarian regimes. The exhibition will be organized with the collaboration of museums and research institutions in Portugal and Spain as both these countries experienced a transition to democracy from authoritarian regimes in 1974 and in 1975 respectively. The exhibition will be framed by a conference, workshops, book presentations, screenings of documentaries and fiction films, public discussions and other activities, with the aim of exploring the variety, connections and particularities of artistic pursuits.

National Gallery's Glyptotheque in the Army Park (Alsos stratou) © National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum

Re-opening of new exhibition places
The re-opening of the National Gallery’s Glyptotheque as well as the re-opening of the Library and Archive has also been announced along with the inauguration of the Western European Art Room where a total of 47 works will be on display. Among them we can admire the “Female head” by Picasso and the famous “Windmill” by Mondrian. After going through a conservation process which will be open to the public in a specially designed space, the French painter Charles-Louis-Lucien Muller’s ‘30 March 1814’ will also go on public view in the Western European Art Room in 2023.

From the Western European Art Room. Centre: Pablo Picasso "Woman's Head", 1939 © National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum

Special events at all National Gallery Annexes
From the Coumantaros Art Gallery in Sparta and the Kapralos Museum in Aegina to the Nafplion Annexe, the Corfu Annexe and the Contemporary Greek Art Institute (ISET), the National Gallery brings art into everyday life by organising exhibitions, workshops, guided tours and educational programmes that appeal to all. The aim is to strengthen the osmosis between the National Gallery and its Annexes.

Panos Valsamakis "Inner Vision", 1975, Sparta, Coumantaros Art Gallery © National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum

Educational programmes, programmes suitable for children, themed guided tours as well as guided tours in English addressed also to refugees in Greece with the aim to contribute to their integration into their new social environment are also planned. The goal of strengthening the National Gallery’s cooperation with cultural and educational organisations in Greece and other countries is also among the priorities of the new administration. ‘The National Gallery holds a leading position in Greece’s cultural life. In the future, it can, and must, increase its impact by undertaking international initiatives for artistic events and synergies on broader social, institutional and cultural issues, as well as by contributing to the improvement of the quality of everyday life’ said the new Director of the National Gallery Syrago Tsiara.

Read also via Greek News Agenda
Discover the National Gallery of Athens
The ideal Greece of Konstantinos Parthenis at the National Gallery

I.E.

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Greek News Agenda pays tribute to the renowned Greek visual artist George Lazongas who died at the age of 77 earlier this month. His work is currently exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens; in fact, the show entitled “The past is now. Lazongas: Myths and Antiquity” turned out to be the artist’s swansong exhibition.

Born in Larissa, George Lazongas (1945-2022) initially studied Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, but eventually devoted himself to painting. He presented his first solo exhibition in Thessaloniki (1975) and continued his studies in Paris with a scholarship from the French government. He presented his work in a series of solo shows and in more than thirty group exhibitions in Greece, Europe, Asia and the U.S., as well as prestigious events such as Europalia and the Sao Paolo Biennial.

Moreover, Lazongas taught at the Department of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1982-1999) and in 2008, he was elected Professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he taught until 2012.

A primary feature in Lazongas’s work and artistic quest has always been the restructuring of form – a form that purposely does not lose the thread of communication with the initial shape/point of departure. In fact, right from the start in his early works Lazongas retrieved historical and mythological fragments to create new perspectives and conceptual narratives.

As the artist himself had put it: “the fragment is the work”, “the characteristics of a latent materiality are inherent in the traces” referring to the “medium that produces or provokes them.”

The trace, even if not constituting a faithful representation, is certainly a visual and hollow reminder of it. Everything between “before” and “now” are simultaneously absent and present. Thus, references to the past are transformed into enigmatic allegories of the present, and visual stories that unfold “in secret”, stimulating the viewers’ imagination and paving the way for new interpretations.

The show entitled “The past is now. Lazongas: Myths and Antiquity” - which was inaugurated in May 2022 at the National Archaeological Museum - turned out to be Lazongas’ swansong exhibition. Running through 20 August 2022, it is featuring a series of Lazongas’ paintings and drawings, inspired by ancient Greek history, mythology and art.

Thus, an intriguing dialogue between contemporary art and antiquity is conducted at Greece’s largest archaeological institution and one of the world’s most important museums devoted to ancient Greek art. 

More specifically, 30 contemporary artworks created by George Lazongas are set beside 23 selected artifacts from the Museum’s permanent collection to demonstrate how the past continues to shape the present. The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections, all of which constitute “palimpsests” of time, a concept that Lazongas introduced to the terminology of local art history in the 1970s to describe the layering of the image at different moments in time:

a) Mediterranean escapes: this section includes some of the Museum’s artworks from Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Italy, which highlight the cultural dynamics of the ancient Greek spirit; in combination with Lazongas’ sketches, it demonstrates the cultural interactions among the peoples and the multicultural nature of the Mediterranean region. Central, in this section, is the role of the “Nike/Victory” series inspired by the Nike (Winged Victory) of Samothrace; the ancient statue is deconstructed and reconstructed, taking the form of a contemporary emblem of a life and death symbol.

b) Fragments of memory: during the thrilling process of excavation, fragments of ancient images constantly come into light, completing and aesthetically reflecting the continuity of Greek history. In Lazongas’s work – and more specifically, in the series “Fragments-Shards” and “Columns” - the fragmentation of the image functions symbolically, catastrophe being a stage in the creative process, fully linked to the concept of rebirth.

c) Transformations of images: the Sirens - symbols of danger and devastation according to Greek mythology - become leading figures in Lazongas’ compositions, and mutate, in the course of time, into a new mythic figure: Baubo. By modifying an ancient prototype into a contemporary creation, the artist invents thus a new visual mythology, imbued with his own experiences.

See also on GNA:

E.S.

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The Urban Age Task Force Athens is a programme organized by the LSE Cities and the International Forum Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft in partnership with the City of Athens with the aim to address key priority areas in Athens’ urban development making the city more liveable and sustainable. The program involves establishing workshops of local and international experts as well as site visits to cities that have undergone successful urban change to identify best practice in the effective delivery of complex urban projects in the domains of public space, access and walkability, greening the city, addiction and homelessness. Through advanced GIS mapping and visualisations the programme’s partners also collaborate on assembling data on key urban indictors.

Creating local impact from academic knowledge

The Urban Age programme was launched in 2005 with the aim to explore the diverse spatial, social, economic and political dynamics of global cities in different regions of the world through conferences, research, advisory work and engagement. With the establishing of the Task Forces in 2019, the Urban Age programme expanded its activities from research, critical reflection and dialogue to concretely delivering urban change in cooperation with local and international experts and local authorities. The aim is to develop interdisciplinary, science-based proposals for action to tackle the challenges that fast-growing and rapidly changing cities are facing.

In February 2020, the Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis and the Director of LSE Minouche Shafik signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the implementation of the Urban Age Task Force Athens for an 18-month period. The project was coordinated by LSE Cities, and directed by Professor of Urban Studies Ricky Burdett, in close cooperation with the City of Athens and partner institutions. As the Mayor of Athens said: “What Athens really needs is not an ordinary city management. We need innovative interventions that will enhance the public space and highlight its routes and building wealth in order to transform it into a modern, environmentally friendly capital for its residents and visitors”.

The Areopagus with the Pnyx, Thissio neighbourhood and the National Observatory on the Hill of the Nymphs in the background © Zoonar/Daniel Ferreira-Leites Ciccarino / Alamy Stock Photo via “Athens Urban Age Task Force – A spatial compendium”

Analyzing Athens’ unique DNA

Athens has experienced a number of tumultuous changes and is now trying to re-invest in its future. The results of the Urban Age programme, that attempted an in-depth analysis of Athens’ unique DNA, were presented in Athens this June. The programme assembled data comparing Athens to 15 other cities in Europe and across the globe. Indicators cover a range of demographic, spatial, social, economic and environmental measures providing an overview of city-wide performance – not a ranking – based on information principally gathered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More precisely, according to the analysis:

• The City of Athens is the smallest in the sample at 38.9 km2, with over 660,000 people living within a much wider metropolitan region of 3.8 million people (based on data from the last available census of 2011), with the second highest density in Europe (after central Paris).
• Athens reveals a flat growth curve (after a period of negative growth), like other European cities including Berlin and Milan (0.1 %–0.2%), lower than Stockholm and London.
• Athens’ administrative area is very compact with 16,615 people/km2, three times higher than more dispersed cities like London (4,697 people/km2) and five times higher than Berlin (3,105 people/km2).
• Athens welcomes 6.4 million international visitors a year (which is still only one-third of the annual visitors to London, Paris and Singapore), with consequent stress on urban infrastructure and housing stock.
• Despite high rates of unemployment at 10.6% in the Attica Region, Athens is one of the least unequal cities.
• Although Athens is investing in sustainable transport, car ownership remains the highest of the sample at 799/1,000 persons.
• The City of Athens is currently exploring ways of improving its provision of green space, which at 6.63 m2 per person is lower than most European cities.

Looking south beyond the Acropolis towards Faleron Bay and the port of Piraeus © Rawf8 / Alamy Stock Photo via “Athens Urban Age Task Force – A spatial compendium”

“A city with a strong urban character”

The presentation of the results was a good opportunity for discussion between experts and local authorities, but most importantly it enriched the debate about the urgent need to re-design urban policies in Athens. The city is making new investments in its urban infrastructure and public realm to improve quality of life and it will certainly take into consideration the data of the Task Force analysis.

Stavros Niarchos Park - Photo @This is Athens

Athens is a fascinating city combining historical continuity and an interesting geography as it is surrounded by mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, it is a compact city of remarkable density comprising 129 neighborhoods. What is more, Athens is a city that has survived multiple crises and has come through today with renewed vigor, seeking to reconnect with its future.

Although it is a dense city lacking open and green spaces and with significant challenges to transport mobility, Athens is a lively city with full of energy vibrant neighborhoods. As Ricky Burdett, the head of the LSE Cities research center, architect and professor of urban studies at LSE, said in a recent interview with Kathimerini Newspaper: “Athens is dense both physically and within its experiences. It is a city with a strong urban character, not always pretty, but with an urban quality. You can feel the pulse.”

Athens’ Neighborhoods – Photos by Nick Night on Unsplash

* Intro photo: Lycabettus Hill, Athens © Steven / Alamy Stock Photo via “Athens Urban Age Task Force – A spatial compendium”

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