Athens is one of the greatest ancient cities in Europe, which justly bears the title of the cradle of democracy and Western civilization. It is difficult to measure and it is impossible to underestimate the historical and cultural heritage of this city. Among the abundance of architectural, archaeological and historical attractions, the essential role is assigned to museums, each of which lifts the veil on different epochs in the history not only of the capital city, but also of the whole majestic Greece.
The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens offers a great chance to plunge into ancient history, starting from the Bronze Age. The exhibitions are aimed at studying and popularizing the ancient Aegean and Cyprus cultures, and the special attention is paid to the Cycladic art of the 3rd Millennium BC. The three main collections are joined into corresponding chronological and thematic groups. The museum itself occupies two buildings that are connected by a corridor with a glass roof.
All this was achieved due to donations from collectors, public and private institutions, and anonymous patrons. Exhibits that had previously been parts of separate private collections became available for public viewing in museum galleries, some of which are named after the most important sponsors: the gallery of K. Politis, the gallery of the Academy of Athens, T. N. Zintilis gallery.
The Cycladic culture is a Bronze Age culture (3200 – 1050 BC) found in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. Cycladic art is one of the three main areas of Aegean art, which also include Minoan and Mycenaean.
The Museum of Cycladic Art owes its appearance to Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris. The couple received an assent from the Greek government and began collecting ancient artifacts in the 1960s with a focus on Cycladic statuettes and marble vessels. The collection was quickly recognized by local scholars.
The Benaki Museum was the first place where the collection was presented to the general public. After that, the exhibits set off to a trip to the galleries and museums of the world and visited Washington, Houston, Brussels, Paris and London. During the round-the-world trip of the collection, Nicholas Goulandris died. His wife was aware of the complexity of managing such important artifacts, so she donated all the exhibits to the state for creating the museum.
In 1986, the Museum of Cycladic Art opened in Athens. During the time of its existence, it has grown significantly and hosted new exhibits, which were obtained through direct purchases or purchased as donations from various collectors and institutions.
Cycladic art is characterized by simple figures, most often single ones and full-length carved from white marble. Their faces are smooth and do not have any visual shapes, except of a well-defined nose. However, some figures still have the evidence that other facial features had been drawn on them as well. The main feature of Minoan art were palaces with frescoes and images of bulls, as well as complex pottery. Mycenaean art was distinguished by gold products, massive citadels and tombs.
At the moment, more than 3,000 exhibits of Cycladic, Cypriot and ancient Greek art occupy four floors of the museum. The main exhibitions are located in the main building, which was designed by the Greek architect Ioannis Vikelas. Construction was carried out right in the heart of the Greek capital. Galleries of this building occupy about 2300 sq. m.; also, there are warehouses, workshops and offices in it. For visitors, the Museum of Cycladic Art has a souvenir shop, a cafe, a cloakroom and a toilet. The building is equipped with an elevator and is arranged to be visited by people with special needs.
Since 1991, temporary exhibitions of the museum are located in the new wing — the Stathatos mansion. This building is a spectacular example of neoclassical architecture of the XIX century, created by the Bavarian architect Ernst Ziller. The buildings have separate entrances and are connected by a covered walkway.
Three permanent exhibitions are a real ticket to the past of an ancient country. The museum's collection of Cycladic art is one of the most complete private collections in the world. The austere appearance of the marble statuettes became a real source of inspiration for many artists of the XX century. The exhibits and interactive applications in the hall of Ancient Greek art will tell you about the main events in social and political life in the period between the birth of ancient Greek civilization and its creative mixing with the Roman tradition. It will also be interesting to get acquainted with one of the most important private collections of Cypriot antiquities in the world — the Thanos Zintilis collection. Cyprus civilization from the time of Chalcolithic (IV century BC) to the beginning of the Byzantine period (VI century AD) is represented by 400 stone, loam, bronze, silver, gold, glass and faience items.
The main building, located at 4, Neofitou Douka street, houses the main collections of the museum. Temporary exhibitions are presented in the attached wing — the Stathatos mansion, which is located at the intersection of Vasilissis Sofias and Herodotous streets. You can get into each building both from the street and from the passage between them.
The most outstanding collection of Cycladic art is located on the first floor — here you will see various statuettes and vases, tools, weapons and pottery of the Cycladic island culture, which flourished in the central part of the Aegean Sea at the beginning of the Bronze Age. Among the most important objects, you can see a female statuette of the early Cycladic period, which is 1.40 m high, as well as a vase with a dove — the largest surviving example of dishes with sculptured birds found to date.
The 2nd and 4th floors of the museum are occupied by collections of characteristic artifacts that are dedicated to the development of Greek art from its origin to the end of the Roman period — the "History in images" and the "Scenes from everyday life in ancient times". On the 4th floor of the building, each visitor has the opportunity to make a virtual journey through time and space in order to get acquainted vividly with the life of the Greeks during different periods of their existence — mythological representations, personal and social life, religious beliefs and ideas about the afterlife. Extensive graphics help not only to improve the aesthetic effect, but also to understand better the purpose and functions of various artifacts. Each showcase is equipped with drawings and explanatory texts with information on the topic. In addition, for educational purposes, two short films are shown about episodes of the life of a man named Leon, about his death and customs associated with funerals.
Since 2002, the Zintilis collection has become one of the permanent exhibitions of the Museum of Cycladic Art, and 2 years later the exhibits were presented to the public. The formation was completed in 2012: now you can see 550 items belonging to various periods from the 3rd Millennium BC to late antiquity. The use of a modern approach in the design, color, lighting and presentation of exhibits allows emphasizing the richness of style, finish and creative forms of Cypriot ceramics. Here you can also see glass vases and jewelry, statuettes and sculptures of human forms. The expositions are accompanied by comprehensive texts.
The main building of the Cycladic Art Museum in Athens is located at Neofitou Duka street. You can get here by public transport, as well as by private car, scooter or bicycle. There is no parking space near the museum, and the Kolonaki district itself is densely populated. Therefore, if you cannot get to the place by public transport, you can use paid parking lots on the nearby streets.
By metro, you need to get by lines 2 and 3 to Syntagma or Evangelismos stations. Trolleybuses 3, 7 and 13 also go to the museum, as well as buses on routes Α5, Ε6, Ε7, Χ14, 054, 200, 203, 204, 220, 221, 224, 235, 408, 608, 622, 732 and 815.
