A tour of the Goulandris Museum of Modern Art in Athens

The international masters

It’s hard to know where to begin, given all the mastery on display. Vincent Van Gogh’s Olive Picking stands out as it was one of only three he completed during his time at a psychiatric clinic in southern France, whilst Pablo Picasso’s Nude Woman with Raised Arms is one of the works that set him on a journey exploring cubism. Claude Monet spent long hours painting the same subject at different times of day and his Rouen Cathedral in the Morning (Pink Dominant) is regarded as one of the most complete paintings of the series, capturing the very first morning light. You’ll wonder at the surrealism of Joan Miró’s The Grasshopper and the colourful harmony of Wassily Kandinsky Both Striped. And don’t forget to pause and admire the rare yet masterful simplicity of Paul Cézanne’s late 19th-century Portrait of the Artist Looking Over His Shoulder and El Greco’s 16th-century Veil of St Veronica, depicting Christ on his way to crucifixion. There is also a collection of sketches of artists including Henri Matisse, Braque and Picasso, Balthus and Jean Fautrier.

Greek artists

Make sure you take the opportunity to discover some of Greece’s finest talent. Two of the most recognised are Yannis Tsarouchis, whose favoured motif of sailors is represented in the museum, and abstract artist Yannis Moralis, whose two works called Erotic are from 1977 and 1994 yet look like they were created within days of each other. Look out for A Wonderful Day (The Morning Cyclist) by Alekos Fassianos, a popular artist known for his idiosyncratic, figurative painting style, and Yannis Gaïtis’ Descent from the Cross. It belongs to a series known as Antiquities, created in protest against the commercialisation of antiquities. You’ll also enjoy the cubist influences in the entangled roofs, terrace rooms and triangular pediments of neoclassical buildings in Nikos Chatzikyriakos-Gikas’ Paris Rooftops.
 

Other exhibits

As well as paintings, you’ll have the chance to admire sculptures and other small objects. Auguste Rodin’s Eternal Springtime is recognised as a rare and very beautiful example of a Rodin sculpture representing a couple in love. Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer Aged Fourteen is the only sculpture Degas exhibited during his lifetime. Alberto Giacometti’s Femme de Venise V is a bronze cast of one of the famous ‘Women of Venice’ Giacometti created when he represented France for the Venice Biennale. And Giorgio de Chirico’s Troubadour I is a good example of the Italian artist’s use of mannequins to explore the theme of the metaphysical. There is also a hall dedicated to a collection of French furniture, of the most famous ébénistes, and other objects from the 18th century, as well as Chinese artwork made of jade or porcelain.

The cafe-restaurant

You can practically add the Goulandris Museum’s cafe-restaurant onto its list of exhibits. It is referred to as an ‘open, urban garden’, with a mouth-watering menu of creative Mediterranean dishes assembled by distinguished Greek chef Andreas Lagos. It t has a soothing yet wonderfully uplifting air in which to sit and contemplate the astonishing artwork you have just witnessed. 

The library

Those who want to delve even deeper can explore the museum's collection of more than 5,000 Greek, English and French books covering areas such as Theory and History of Art, Painting, Sculpture, Design, Engraving, Architecture and Decorative Arts. There are also catalogues of exhibitions and monographs of distinguished foreign and Greek artists, as well as publications of international museums and art institutions, periodicals of art, encyclopedias and art dictionaries.