Athens Museums

The stunning museum boasts one of the world’s best archaeology museums. No visit to Athens would be complete without a visit for its amazing collection of art and artefacts. The museum is best known for collections of Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean, and Classical Greek art. Minoan frescoes and the gold Mask of Agamemnon are the brightest stars in this galaxy.

National Archaeological Museum, Athens

Founded in 1979 by the former Chief Engineer of OSE, Dipl. Eng. Christodoulos Christodoulou who started the difficult task to collect, restore and exhibit a wide range of historical railway material which had been left to its fate at various locations.

Athens Railway Museum is the only of its kind in Greece and belongs to the Greek Railways Organization. The main purpose of the museum is to preserve samples of technological development of means of transporting in Greece.

Its exhibits include steam locomotives of mine-trains and others which dating from 1884; wagons of old trains, and the smoking car of the train of the sultan Abdul Aziz; Athenians tramways of the past decades; models and photographic material; instruments, printing implements, tickets, uniforms and mechanics tools of 19th century.

Founded in 1914, the “Illisia” mansion that belonged to Duches Placentia was transformed into a museum by architect, Aristotle Zachos. The collections show the course of Greek art from the 4th to the 19th century. They comprise sculptural works, paintings and small works of all sorts, which represent the artistic production of Greek area and other regions both central and peripheral of Byzantine Empire, Hellenism and post-Byzantine times. In addition, the collection includes wall paintings, mosaics, small objects (cloth, coins, pottery, metal objects, silver), wood carvings, patterns (anthibola), bronze engravings, lithographs, a collection of old prints(incunabula) and a collection of copies of paintings.

Byzantine painting in Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens

Founded in 1980, Dimitris Pierides collection includes paintings, sculptures, engravings, ceramics, works created after the Second World War by artist from Greece and Cyprus. Since 1983, the feature of museum has been to organize many cultural activities in Athens and other places in Greece and abroad. In addition it has also set up a library of Modern Greek art and provides the funding for specialized publications related to the study of Cypriot Archaeology as well as to 20th century Greek art.

Benaki Museum was founded in 1930 by Antonis Benakis who made an invaluable contribution to the political, social and cultural life of Greece. In 1926, Benaki donated his collections to the Greek State converting it into the first private museum. These collections are housed in one of the handsomest neoclassical buildings in Athens. The acquisition of new exhibits reinforces the research role of the Benaki Museum, namely the study of Hellenic as well as other cultures, important pieces from which are kept on its premises.

The central building re-opened to the public and in it is presented the historical and cultural development of Hellenism, in summer of 2000. Exhibits span the Neolithic Age to the twentieth century. Many of them are masterpieces of Greek art or are of seminal significance for Greek history: from Antiquity and the Roman era to the Byzantine Age, from the Fall of Constantinople, the period of Frankish rule and the Ottoman Occupation, to the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, and from the time of the formation of the Modern Greek State until the Asia Minor Catastrophe. In addition the museum shop offers high quality replicas of exhibits, while the cafeteria on the Museum terrace has become a very popular venue.

Islamic Art in Benaki Museum, Athens

National Gallery is a small museum, has the best selection of Modern Greek and European art in Athens. Be sure to study modern paintings by Ghikas (found on the ground floor) and works by Primitavist painter Theophilos (located on the mezzanine). Always it hosts at least one temporary exhibit too.

Goulandris is a wonderful private museum which focuses on the beautiful sculptures made by the Cycladic civilisation in, naturally, the Cycladic islands in the third millennium BC. They must be among the most stunning and graceful sculptures ever carved, and the excellent lighting and display brings out every bit of their beauty.

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