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OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2017 The bimonthly electronic journal of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation
Cover: Henry Matisse, Le Cauchemar de l’ éléphant blanc & Le Cow-Boy
EDITORIAL TEAM Georgia Alevizaki, Paraskevi Gerolymatou, Andreas Georgiadis, Maria Koutsomallis, Alexandra Papakostopoulou, Klio Panourgias Designed and edited by
Τ 210 - 7252896 www.moca-andros.gr | www.goulandris.gr
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
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NIKOS ENGONOPOULOS
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INTERVIEW
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HONOURARY DISTINCTION
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EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT
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I N S I D E T H E F O U N D AT I O N ' S P E R M A N E N T C O L L E C T I O N
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I N T E R N AT I O N A L L I S T I N G S / C U LT U R E
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By Kyriakos Koutsomallis, Director of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation
Tribute to the periodical summer exhibition
with the first dancer of Greek National Opera, Mrs Maria Kousouni
Honourary distinction from the Montblanc Cultural Foundation
Contemporary Greek Art from the Foundation’s Permanent Collection
Henry Matisse, Le Cauchemar de l’ éléphant blanc & Le Cow-Boy
A list of major art shows around the world
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IN PLACE OF A PROLOGUE
In this the twentieth electronic publication, we are particularly happy to welcome an interview with the Prima Ballerina of the National Opera. Maria Kousouni, with a long artistic career and collaborations with important choreographers and renowned theatres around the world, and the breadth of dance education and the passions she possesses, knows how to transform choreography and music into a quality illustration of dance harmony. The interview she has provided highlights unknown, for many, aspects of the mechanisms and rules that define this great art. The summer exhibition dedicated to Nikos Engonopoulos, founder of the Greek surrealist movement, was incredibly successful both in terms of visitor numbers and acceptance by the Press. The Museum will continue to operate throughout the year presenting selected works from its own collection Kyriakos Koutsomallis Director
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EXHIBITION MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, ANDROS
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EXC E RPT S FRO M T HE P R E S S
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WITH ENGONOPOULOS ON ANDROS
One hundred and ten artworks and fifteen poems highlight the work of one of the most important Greek representatives of Surrealism. If you are an enthusiast, there is no question, you will be thrilled and moved, but even if you don’t admire Nikos Engonopoulos, if you find his paintings monotonous and overtly influenced by the ideas of Giorgio de Chirico or if you find his poetry unfathomable, it is worth visiting Andros to see the exhibition “With the colours of the word and the word of colours”. Not only because it may refute or confirm your opinions (and conciliative dialogue in these matters is always useful) but because -thanks mainly to the design by the artist Andreas Georgiadis -the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation this year offers a full, impressive journey of initiation into the multifaceted work of Engonopoulos, encouraging the dialogue with his particularities, obsessions and sensitivities. One hundred and ten artworks and 15 selected poems highlight the elements that elevated him to dominant innovator of the Greek Surrealist movement. The tour begins against a black backdrop. A photograph of his studio, which depicts a slightly cropped self-portrait from 1935 placed next to an easel with the work itself (inception!) conversing sideways with “The Spirit of Solitude”, quite a famous work from 1939, containing many of the symbols that occupied the artist in later years, depicted on the canvas. On the wall is a quote by the artist and poet: “The artwork is a silent whisper to polite people”. Reading it one cannot but think of the ridicule, the mockery and the rejections that Engonopoulos encountered at the beginning, fascinated by surrealism, a movement that was not only artistic but something more: an attitude of subversion of life and art. Giorgos Nastos, To Vima newspaper, 02/07/2017
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EXC E RPT S FRO M T HE P R E S S
There’s a nice history lesson, I thought to myself. The exhibition of 110 works by Nikos Engonopoulos (1907-1985) which just opened on Andros, framed by some of his em-
blematic poems, initiates the visitor to an era that no longer exists: of artists who had an excellent education, patriotic conscience, curiosity. The poet, painter, costume designer and University professor was part of this defining generation of the 30s, which managed to carry Greece a few steps forward on its back. His paintings are full of symbol-
isms, saints, gods, demigods, heroes, monuments, like palimpsests of knowledge, paths
through which one re-reads mythology, discovers personalities from philosophy and the liberation struggle, and recurs the surrealist manifesto.
The excellently staged homage by the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Goulandris Foundation is divided into several modular sections, aspiring to cover the entire career
of the artist that lasted several decades. The pairing which has taken place on Andros between the art of the paintbrush and his poetry also functions to help one understand
how he worked in parallel in the fields of verse and colours. And another thing: the reception of his first works and poems by critics and the public in the late 1930s was, at
least, disparaging, as they almost accused him of being insane. Although deeply wounded, he continued unrestrained.
One of the most interesting sections in the exhibition are his byzantine-style works with
the use of egg tempera, and the placement of the dark tones before the light, a method used by the Byzantines in order to show that the light comes from within rather than from an external source. Even when he moved away from this historic period, he followed the same technique in his works.
Equally interesting are the other sections, particularly those that deal with the woman
as muse and couples. Engonopoulos, who painted forms without facial characteristics, places all his narrative in the movement and stance of the bodies. Eroticism, closeness, intimacy are depicted there. The nipples of the female bodies always have a kind of
insolence, the backs of the men are big, their waists are lithesome, the bellies rounded
and the soles of the feet robust. The body plays a central role in his painting, they are like the words in his poetry. Since his protagonists don’t have eyes, ears, eyebrows and mouths, they are distinguished by objects, their clothes, the setting in which they are
placed: lamps, hats, flowers, inscriptions, books. If one observes the backdrops of the works carefully, they will almost always discover amazing clouds (they are also depicted
on the cover of the catalogue of the exhibition), seascapes, buildings, bridges and intact ancient temples.
Heroes also have an important role in his subject matter. Of his dozens of works, rec-
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ognisable faces only belong to saints and certain heroes who fought against the Turks. The way he painted buildings, another intrinsic section, is also beautiful. His collabora-
tion with Dimitris Pikionis influenced him in a way that he was able to perform a kind
of “psychography” on architectures, so that each one exudes its own personality. The exhibition also offers space to his costume designs. Preparatory drawings of costumes for the historic performances “Ion” and “Prometheus Bound” staged at the Herodeon by
Linos Karzis in 1959 are presented for the first time on Andros. Visitors will also see two
costumes from the Rallou Manou Dance Theatre. “I believe that in theatre the designs must have the character of a painted supplement of the play, Engonopoulos often said.
Maria Koutsomalli, who curated this homage, manages to present visitors with a coherent narrative, while the staging of the exhibition and the catalogue, supervised by Andreas Georgiadis and Vivi Gerolymatou from Mikri Arktos, provide substance to all facets
of the artist. Also important is the scientific documentation by the art historian Katerina Perpinioti. The tribute will end on October 1st.
Margarita Pournara, Kathimerini newspaper, 27/06/2017
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EXC E RPT S FRO M T HE P R E S S
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HANDSOME AS ENGONOPOULOS! As you enter the Museum of Contemporary Art of Andros you leave the white Cycladic steps and the blue of the Aegean and you find yourself in the giddiness of the colours of Nikos Engonopoulos. His bright paintings come into harmonious contrast with the black backdrop on the walls while next to them, sculptures, like open books, suggest selected verses. This is the impressive setting of the exhibition “With the colours of the word and the words of colour” which opened on Saturday by the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation and reveals the innovative painter and poet who gave a Greek meaning to Surrealism, through 110 works and seven sections. The erotic, exuberant, enigmatic, eerie Engonopoulos. The Engonopoulos of the muse, myth, symbols, fantasy, dream, allegory. The Engonopoulos of a Greece, which from antiquity and Byzantium reaches to this day. We stand in front of his wonderful works. The "Posthumous self-portrait", created only in 1940 - himself with a ghost wrapped in a veil - "Agios Charitonas" with a glass on his forehead, "Grandfather Smith" (1966), great womaniser, “Souvenir of the Occupation” where a stylish Athenian stands in front of a skeleton with the symbols of the Nazis, "Theseus" in a fustanella killing the Minotaur (1961), the naked Penelope offering Odysseus, holding a cigarette and worry beads, a Greek coffee (1970). His last work, the sensual "Mediterranean Muse" ... A showcase includes typed manuscripts of the emblematic poetic composition "Bolivar", while the voice of Engonopoulos recites and in another one finds small costume designs for theatrical performances – he was such a perfectionist that they have fabric samples pinned on to them. Engonopoulos’ paintings are recognisable (1907-1985), but however many you have seen, whatever you have read about his life and work, the exhibition and the comprehensive catalogue accompanying it (Mikri Arktos Publishing) unfold unfamiliar or less known, but always exciting aspects. How disappointed he felt with the criticisms, confused and distressing, of his first poetic work, "Do not talk to the driver"; the mocking remarks and insults he received in a conservative climate left him with a deep trauma. "He closed up, he became secretive, but this initial lack of recognition did not make him deviate from his path," says the curator of the exhibition, Maria Koutsomalli. "At the same time, he was deeply modest when it came to exhibiting his works. As he used to say: Engonopoulos said of Embirikos: "He was a wonderful man. He had nothing to do with the small things in life, he knew nothing of the miserable dealings " writes the director of the Andros Museum of Contemporary Art, Kyriakos Koutsomallis, in the exhibition catalogue. Pari Spinou, EFSYN newspaper, 28/6/2017
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EXC E RPT S FRO M T HE P R E S S
NIKOS ENGONOPOULOS:
AN EXHIBITION ON THE DREAMS, FANTASIES AND PASSION OF THE GREAT ARTIST Nothing can prepare the visitor of this year’s exhibition of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art on Andros, for the explosion of light reflected through 100 works by the great representative of modern Greek art, Nikos Engonopoulos.
His name and the title “With the colour of the word and the word of colours” are the only things in black and white that decorate the walls at the exhibition’s first level, an introduction of his impressive, in size and originality, painterly works.
“Words are elements that I ungraft and put colourfully next to each other”, Engonopoulos
used to say. The words of the poet and the act of the painter comprise a uniform, inseparable unity and which in their entity create the axis of his artistic creation.
Engonopoulos wanted to be an artist of his time, to freely express and transmute ideas, thoughts, sense, and intuitions in poetry and painting, and faced numerous reservations
and misgivings before he became a dominant forerunner of the Greek surrealist movement.
Engonopoulos’ roots lie in Dionysios Solomos, whom he considered the first Surrealist
poet. He was excited by de Chirico’s metaphysical period; he considered him among
the greatest figures of the international surrealist movement, while he also admired the
great regenerators of art, Manet and Cezanne. His teacher, Konstantinos Parthenis was
the one who initiated him to their teachings and pursuits; he was also influenced by Paul Klee and Dimitris Pikionis who expanded the breadth of his artistic and general culture.
As an authentic and passionate supporter of the surrealist principles that began reaching Greece ten years after their initial publication by Breton in 1924, Engonopoulos placed himself at the forefront of the movement, forging his artistic sensitivity through despondency and mockery, stubbornly holding on, through the political conditions of the Metaxa dictatorship and later of the Second World War, to his belief in the revival of the Greek tradition through his work with boldness, knowledge and courage.
Engonopoulos was “a wonderful man. He had nothing to do with the small things in life, he knew nothing of its miserable dealings”, Embirikos used to say. He unconditionally
claimed the right to absolute and unconditional freedom in his art, an art which remains pioneering and unconventional.
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This great artist, like most of the generation of the 30's, managed to link the internationalist
Surrealist movement to the Greek cultural continuity, through a sense of unlimited respect for the Greek cultural tradition.
As a painter, poet and professor at the Polytechnic, Engonopoulos for fifty years tirelessly
followed a journey that contained his three activities, faithful to Horatio’s words: "Painting and poetry must be based on the same principle".
He expressed the artist's anxieties in his own words: "The painter uses colours and
brushes, oil, turpentine and others. But he knows there is a deep black hole behind his
canvas. With the boldness of the dream he moves the canvas aside and bending over
into the dark precipice he sees away, far away, near the bottom, something glowing faintly. Meanwhile, black birds, winged fish and ghosts fly silently around. He comes back to the light. There is a beast between him and his canvas. But still he is not afraid. "
Argyro Bozoni, ξΝculture.gr
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EXC E RPT S FRO M T HE P R E S S
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THE POEMS, THE COLOURS, THE HEROES OF ENGONOPOULOS Strange, unexpected and insecure or a revolutionary that makes today's supposed pioneers of art seem, in the least, funny? An afflicted personality who sought consolation
from the dead ends of life in absurdity or a man who believed that love is the only way to get to know something? Who was Nikos Engonopoulos? A creator of mysticism, locked in himself, isolated especially during the last three decades of his life.
No work could be more appropriate than "The spirit of solitude" (1939), laden with many of the symbols that dominated his visual language such as the lamp, the clouds, the "for
rent" inscription, the marble heads of statues and, of course, the naked and faceless
female forms, to begin to unravel the clues that will lead to the answer of the enigma
surrounding the personality and work of Nikos Engonopoulos? It was also selected
by Maria Koutsomalli - Moro, curator of this year's exhibition, dedicated to the great, well-known but also mysterious art and poet, which is being held at the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, ready to welcome visitors to Andros this summer who will have the opportunity to enjoy 110 works, that is 10% of the total of Engonopoulos' work.
On a background of black and in stark contrast to the subtitle of the exhibition "With the colours of the word and the words of colour", the initiation into the world of
Engonopoulos begins with sneaky glimpses of moments of his life: photographs from
his studio (in the reception hall the works depicted in the black and white shots of his
studio are exhibited in the space), himself depicted next to his teacher Fotis Kontoglou, while serving his military service or alongside Odysseus Elytis and Andreas Embirikos. The reference to "Alepasia" by Hatzi Sehreth, which he discovered accidentally in his
uncle's library in Paris, a work that left him stunned - as he admitted - and removed him from the rational thinking of the French. Next to them, opened on the wall are also black books with his poems, which follow Engonopoulos’ painting path, present but discreet
(thanks to the exhibition design by the artist Andreas Georgiadis) just like their presence
in the life of their creator. It is no coincidence that he himself said, "When my work on
a painting does not fully absorb me, I think about poetry. Sometimes, once I finish my work, I write my poems down on paper. Sometimes, again, I don’t. So many of my poems have never been worked definitely, and I have forgotten them.”
The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue with texts by the director of the
Museum of Contemporary Art, Kyriakos Koutsomallis, the curator Maria Koutsomali, the professor at the National Technical University of Athens, Sotiris Sorogas, the poet
Thanasis Chatzopoulos and the art historian Katerina Perpiniotis-Agazir. Next year, the museum is planning a double exhibition with works by Dimitris Mitaras and Alexandra Athanasiadou in the sculpture gallery, which is to be renovated in view of the foundation’s opening in Athens.
Mary Adamopoulou, TA NEA newspaper, 27.6.2017
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VISITORS' BOOK
Like every year, this year’s exhibition was a particular pleasure. Very very good! Congratulations. Α. Georgiadou 6/7/17
Fantastic curation and film projection! The poetry and art together are a complete Engonopoulos experience! Sophia, (London), 21/7/2017
The Engonopoulos exhibition changed the way I also look at life, nudity and “faces”. G.D., 8/7/2017
The exhibition was amazing. It highlighted the complexity and multidimensional element of Engonopoulos’ work to the utmost. Bravo! Soufos Michalis / Dimitra Bella 4/8/2017
Seeing Engonopoulos’ paintings up close in combination with his poetry I was charmed, I admired! 9/7/2017 We took a wonderful journey into freedom, colour, life. Because this is what Engonopoulos’ art is. Thank you very much. Μ. Michail, 9/7/2017
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Congratulations for the selection of the subject of the exhibition. The guided tour was excellent! Michela-Isidoros, Nantia-Giorgos Very good curating of the N. Engonopoulos exhibition. P.N.
Surrealism and Hypersensitivity! The exhibition of art works but also the excerpts from N. Engonopoulos’ poems was extremely interesting. Il. Dalasou, 14/8/2017
Wonderful exhibition, like every year. Enjoyable guided tour. Polite staff! Phaidon D. Wonderful exhibition. Great works. Excellent presentation. Giannis Fakis Excellent! An exhibition-ode to this great painter! Simply magical! An exhibition offering both sustenance for the mind and a retreat for the eyes!
Oh Andros and the B & E Goulandris Foundation…. So consistent in these wonderful rendezvous with art… Wonderful! 30/8/2017 -Well-presented exhibition -The film was very informative (and not tiring) -Extremely welcoming staff 9/9/2017 G. Kougioumtzoglou, El. Karava It took me three visits to enjoy the works of N. Engonopoulos. Congratulations to the Fondation and, of course, its staff. Impeccable in everything. Stamoulis, Grigoris 13/9/2017
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INTERVIEW WITH THE FIRST DANCER OF NATIONAL OPERA
MARIA KOUSOUNI PHOTOGRAPHS: VASSILIS MAKRIS
The choreographer’s commitment, as artistic choice, focuses on the audience and is to produce art
How would you describe the components that make up the absolute definition of a “prima ballerina”?
She is a distinctive, particular, artistically complete personality. She translates and transfers the idea of the choreography and the music into art. She becomes harmony. She becomes art.
Who can shoulder such a load?
Those who have the gift from the beginning. The talent. Those who can shoulder
the weight are those who remain focused on the idea and use the hurdles and the adversities of the profession in a positive way in order to evolve.
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There has been a great debate around corporality over recent years. What is
your perception of this and how has this notion evolved within dance these days?
The ideal body type for dance has not changed. They are reasons it is specific. There are specific aesthetic rules in order for someone to achieve a harmonious
result. Long extremities, a long neck, a small head and flexible joints are a good base for someone to be able to meet the technical demands of dance more har-
moniously. The modern era has also accepted body types that may diverge from this in cases where there is another particular talent.
The body is language. However, are the connotations of this language clear in the classical western form? Is it a detailed narrative? A dialogue? What?
How can the audience be accessioned into this creatively? How can it enjoy that which is developing before its eyes in its entirety?
The choreographer’s commitment, as artistic choice, focuses on the audience
and is to produce art. To promote and highlight artists (choreographers and
dancers) who are not yet at this level of art says absolutely nothing. The truth
will be revealed when the curtain rises. And the audience will not be able to
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INTERVIEW
The ideal body type for dance has not changed. They are reasons it is specific.
participate actively! It is always a detailed narrative! It cannot but be clear. It should be led by the choreographer however
avant garde someone wishes to be. Then it is down to the dancer’s training whether the form given to him by the cre-
ator can be transferred clearly. This is where the perception and level of his technique comes into play. It takes a sum of
correct processes for the audience to identify and become one with this. It is that simple.
You had the choice of continuing your already illustrious
career in Vienna and Hamburg. However, you decided to “return home”. What defined this choice?
I learnt to be a profession in these two historical Operas and great choreogra-
phers showed me the way. They unfolded from within qualities and elements I
didn’t yet know. I always found myself performing various roles in their ballets. From the young and innocent girl from a children’s story to the dramatic figure of
a literary work. As a result, recognition came very quickly. I felt complete and for personal reasons I chose to return to Greece. Either way, dance has no borders.
You recently started becoming involved in choreography. How has this new step changed you?
The last seven years that I have been choreographing have changed me and the
perspective that used to be only from the side of the dancer has become 360 degrees. I see everything differently. Like looking in from the outside. I am more
objective and less emotional. I learnt the mechanisms of an entire theatre like the National Opera. From the administrative issues of organisation to the artistic, the
stage design, lighting and all the details required for the realisation of a creation. It takes great coordination, a lot of work and time to create even a one-hour performance. It is the result of creative team work. What are your new plans?
Apart from my performances with the National Opera I have arranged some performances abroad which will be announced very soon. At the same time, I have focused on young dancers and the correct approach to classical ballet through
teaching and seminars. I will soon be presenting a study on the educational as-
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The last seven years pect which I have been preparing for years.
that I have been
What is the first thing you would say to a
choreographing have
I would take it in my arms and dance with it
changed me and the
child who wants to start dancing? without saying a word.
Talk to us about happiness in your art.
perspective that used
Happiness is a state. A life choice. Since
to be only from the
of us experiences it differently. Whether you
side of the dancer has
It is everywhere. All you have to do is find it.
become 360 degrees
dance is art and belongs to everyone, each are a dancer, or a facilitator or the audience.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Maria Kousouni was born in Athens and studied with a scholarship at the Higher Professional School of Dance of D. Grigoriadou.
She has danced in the biggest theatres of the world such as Verona, Frankfurt, Madrid, Tokyo, Osaka, Luxemburg, Nuremberg, Sardinia, Seville, Baden-Baden, Bonn, Trento, Udine, Klagenfurt, and others, and continues to participate in per-
formances and galas as a guest. She has won the "Prix Special" in the young dancers’ competition in Luxemburg and has received the “Exaleiptron” dance prize.
Her artistic career includes collaborations with some of the most important cho-
reographers such as J. Neumeier, G. Balanchine, N. Makarova, Ch. Weeldon, R. Noureyev, V. Malakhov, J. Kilian, W. Forsythe, J. Cranko, P. Writght, Hans Van
Manen, K. MacMillan, R. Van Danzig, F. Ashton, G. Samsova, K. Bradstrup, B. Eif-
mann, Y. Boquin, R. Zanella, L. Massin, E. Tschernichova, R.Barra, J. Stromgren, P.Delcroix, I. Moukhamedov, J. Boubenicek, D. Lommel and others.
Over the last years she has presented has own choreographies at the Nation-
al Opera. Since 2007 she has been teaching classical ballet at the Professional
Scholl of the National Opera and teaches at classical ballet seminars in Europe and Greece.
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INTERVIEW
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HONOURARY DISTINCTION
MONTBLANC CULTURAL FOUNDATION
The Montblanc Cultural Foundation held an award ceremony in honour of the Basil
and Elise Goulandris Foundation at the King George Hotel on Monday 4 September. The award was presented by the Presidents of the Montblanc Foundation, Messrs.
Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, to the President of the Basil and Elise Foundation, Mrs Fleurette Karadonti.
In their speeches, Messrs. Fellrath and Bardaouil, representing the Montblanc Cultural
Foundation, expressed their admiration for the history and work of the Goulandris Foundation, referred to the importance of this particular award and the personality of Scipione Borghese, who inspired this year’s prize.
On behalf of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, the President Mrs Karadonti
thanked Montblanc for this distinction and noted, in her closing remarks: Elise and Basil Goulandris’ aspiration for a Museum in Athens to house their permanent art
collection and extend the Foundation’s activities to the capital, is well known. It is therefore a great joy and source of satisfaction that the building of the Foundation’s new Museum of Contemporary Art in Eratosthenous Street in Pagrati will soon be
completed. The spirit and drive of our Founders remain a priority and I am certain
that they would be equally happy with the honour you have bestowed upon us today. Present at the ceremony where: the Director of the Byzantine and Christian Museum
Mrs Ekaterini Dellaporta, the Director of the National Gallery Mrs Marina LambrakiPlaka, the Director of the Benaki Museum Georgis Magginis, the Director of the
Theocharakis Foundation Mrs Fotis Papathanasiou, the Director of the Moschandreou Gallery Mr Christos Moschandreou, the Director of the Kydonieos Foundation Mr Nikos Sigalas, Messrs. Takis Mavrotas, Vasilis Theocharakis, Arsen Kalfayan, Dimitris Tsitouras and others.
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A few words about the MONTBLANC CULTURAL FOUNDATION: 26 years ago, Montblanc came up with the idea that personalities with notable contributions to the support and encouragement of cultural programmes through ongoing activities and commitment, should be recognised and honoured for the important values they serve. Thus, the MONTBLANC CULTURAL FOUNDATION was born; every year, via a distinguished committee, they honour an individual or foundation from among 17 countries around the world: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the Middle East, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The aim is to promote the importance of artistic and cultural patronage throughout the world and to recognise those who set such a brilliant example through their activities. Every year, the winner is awarded ₏15,000 and a specially-designed award, accompanied by a collector’s ink pen of the patron of the arts series which honours a historical figure connected to patronage. This year, the award was presented to the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation and for the second year in a row to Greece.
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EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT
CONTEMPORARY GREEK ART FROM THE FOUNDATION’S PERMANENT COLLECTION
The Museum of Modern Art of the Basil and Elize Goulandris Foundation in Andros will continue to operate throughout the 2017-2018 winter period, presenting the exhibition Contemporary Greek Art with paintings and sculptures from the Foundation’s Permanent Collection. The exhibition presents works by the following artists: Sofia Vari, Spiros Vasiliou, Ntikos Vyzantios, Anna Grigora, Yiannis Moralis, Giorgos Bouzianis, Dimitris Mytaras, Giorgos Rorris, Pavlos Samios, Euanthia Soutoglou, Theodoros Stamos, Yannis Tsarouchis, Panagiotis Tetsis, Alekos Fasianos, Giorgos Xadoulis, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, John Christoforou. The exhibition presents a dialogue among artists of different generations and, more importantly, artistic perceptions and is structured in thematic sections avoiding the linear narrative of chronological order. The exhibition will be open until 31 May 2018.
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I N S I D E T H E F O U N D AT I O N ' S PERMANENT COLLEC TION
Henri Matisse (1869-1954)
Le Cauchemar de l’ éléphant blanc (The nightmare of the white elephant), 1947 (from the jazz series) Colour lithograph, 172/250, 42 Χ 65 cm Le Cow-Boy The cowboy, 1947,(from the jazz series) Colour lithograph, 172/250, 42 Χ 65 cm These two lithographs are from a series of twenty plates taken from cut-outs made by Matisse between 1941-1944. Accompanied by a text by the artist, printed in manuscript form in large characters inserted between the colour plates, they were brought together in a collection entitled Jazz entrusted to the Greek publisher, Tériade with whom the artist had already collaborated and published, 30 September 1947. The two works presented here refer, as do several others make up the same work, to a circus, which was to be the series’ name. The choice of title finally adopted is explained in Matisse’s definition of Jazz as uniting rhythm and meaning and thus establishing an implicit parallel with the music, rich in meaning, from the other side of the Atlantic. […] A sense of lightness is liberated from the great luminosity of these images, aroused by those airy forms (in the first case, the white figure, in the second, the duet of black figures), whose curves link up and hover lightly in alternating contrast to the intensely vibrant, solid colour, dispensed in reassuringly geometric shapes. […] Whether the result be figurative or more abstract, each of these works is the reflected outcome of a process whose purpose is, before all else, expression, whose creation is explained by the artist: “Expression, for me, does not lie in the passion which shines in a face or which confirms itself in a violent motion. It is in the whole arrangement of my painting, the places bodies occupy, the emptiness which surrounds them, the proportions, all these things play a part. Composition is the art of arranging, in a decorative manner, the various elements which the painter draws on to express his feelings.”
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INTERNATIONAL LISTINGS / CULTURE
VIENNA
ALBERTINA BRUEGEL: DRAWING THE WORLD
AMSTERDAM
FOAM MUSEUM: ANDRÉ KERTÉSZ, MIRRORING LIFE
Pieter Bruegel’s drawings were created during an era (16th century) of political, social and religious change and describe a complex iconographic world. Through the selection of these 80 works, Albertina presents the entire range of Bruegel’s output and, at the same time, highlights his artistic pedigree through the juxtaposition of works with important past artists such as Bosch and Dürer.
Kertész is famous today for his extraordinary contribution to the language of 20th century photography. This retrospective exhibition brings together a large number of black and white prints as well as a selection of colour photographs and historical documents, highlighting his brilliant creative acuteness in redefining reality through unusual compositions.
BASEL
LIVERPOOL
Duration of exhibition until 03/12/2017 www.albertina.at
KUNSTMUSEUM BERN VAN GOGH TO CÉZANNE, BONNARD TO MATISSE
The works of the Hahnloser collection reinforce the Kunstmuseum Bern collection with high quality artworks. Over one hundred works will be accepted as loans to the Kunstmuseum Bern and, in this first presentation, will be complemented with loans from private collections and museums. The general aim is to underline the international importance of the collection. Duration of exhibition until 11/03/2018 www.kunstmuseumbern.ch 34
Duration of exhibition until 10/01/2018 www.foam.org
TATE LIVERPOOL ROY LICHTENSTEIN IN FOCUS
Over 20 works record Roy Lichtenstein’s (1923-1997) interest in landscape in these paintings influenced by comics and advertisements. Also on exhibition an installation by Lichtenstein with three screens showing a film which he created during a two-week stay at Universal Studios in 1969. Duration of exhibition until 17/06/2018 www.tate.org.uk
LONDON
THE NATIONAL GALLERY DRAWN IN COLOUR: DEGAS FROM THE BURRELL
The Burrell collection is one of the biggest collection of works by Degas in the world. The works are rarely exhibited while this specific exhibition of 20 pastels is being presented for the first time outside Scotland since they were acquired on occasion of the 100 years since his death. Duration of exhibition until 07/05/2018 www.nationalgallery.org.uk
LONDON
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY CÉZANNE PORTRAITS
This exhibition brings together for the first time over fifty portraits by Cézanne from collections from around the world, including works never before exhibiting on the United Kingdom. The exhibition offers a unique and exciting presentation of this important facet of his work, underlining the special iconographic and thematic characteristics of his portraiture. Duration of exhibition until 11/02/2018 www.npg.org.uk
LONDON
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS DALÍ / DUCHAMP
This is the first exhibition to highlight the amazing relationship between the two artists and their influence on each other’s work. Dali and Duchamp maintained a longstanding relationship of friendship and mutual admiration throughout their careers. What fed this seemingly impossible friendship was deeper than their shared artistic interests – eroticism, language, vision and games among others. Duration of exhibition until 03/01/2018 www.royalacademy.org.uk
LONDON
TATE MODERN: MODIGLIANI
Modigliani’s nudes are the basis of this exhibition. Twelve paintings. They proved controversial when exhibited for the first time in 1917; the police censored his only one-man exhibition and the works passed into obscurity. The exhibition is complemented by his lesser-known but radical and mysterious sculptures, as well as portraits of his friends, mistresses and supporters. Duration of exhibition until 02/04/2018 www.tate.org.uk
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INTERNATIONAL LISTINGS / CULTURE
PA R I S
CENTRE POMPIDOU DAVID HOCKNEY
The exhibition celebrates the artist’s 80th birthday. With over one hundred and sixty works, including painting, photographs, engravings, installations, video, drawings, as well as the artist’s most famous works, such as swimming pools, double portraits and monumental landscapes. Duration of exhibition until 23/11/2017 www.centrepompidou.fr
ROME
SCUDERIE DEL QUIRINALE PICASSO. TRA CUBISMO E CLASSICISMO
It is February 1917 and Europe is being torn apart by World War I. Pablo Picasso, who is only 36 but already a great painter and rapporteur of Cubism into painting, arrives in Italy for the first time. One hundred years after this journey, which influenced both his art and his personality, this important exhibition presents works on loan from the Picasso Méditerranée segment from the National Picasso Museum in Paris. Duration of exhibition until 21/01/2018 www.scuderiequirinale.it 36
PA R I S
MUSÉE D’ORSAY DEGAS, DANSE, DESSIN
The Musée d'Orsay honours the 100th anniversary of Degas’ death through the presentation of an exhibition based on the lesser known works of Paul Valéry. In this exhibition, Degas’ numerous sketches and Valéry’s famous notebooks are connected and point out or reflect the connections between their arts. Duration of exhibition until 25/02/2018 www.musee-orsay.fr
ROME
MAXXI: ZAHA HADID IN ITALY
A year after her untimely death, MAXXI is presenting this exhibition focusing on Hadid’s works in Italy and underlines her intense and productive relationship with the country, presenting works from iconographic and conceptual vessels to three-dimensional models, from virtual representations to more recent interdisciplinary studies on the application of new solutions and technologies to innovative research efforts in design. Duration of exhibition until 14/01/2018 www.maxxi.art
GENOVA
PALAZZO DUCALE PICASSO – MASTERPIECES FROM PICASSO MUSEUM IN PARIS
The exhibition presents a series of works from the Picasso Museum in Paris which have been divided into thematic sections, allowing the visitor to follow his amazing artistic and human adventure. More specifically, there are works Picasso always kept with him through the years, as he moved constantly from place to place. Duration of exhibition until 06/05/2018 www.palazzoducale.genova.it
NEW YORK
ΜOΜΑ: MAX ERNST, BEYOND PAINTING
Αυτή η έκθεση ερευνά τη σταδιοδρομία του σουρεαλιστή καλλιτέχνη Max Ernst (1891-1976), με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στον αδιάκοπο πειραματισμό του, παρουσιάζοντας περίπου 100 έργα που προέρχονται από τη συλλογή του Μουσείου. Duration of exhibition until 01/01/2018 www.moma.org
MUNICH
KUNSTHALLE MÜNCHEN: GOOD · TRUE · BEAUTIFUL
For the first time in Germany, the Kunsthalle München has undertaken to replicate the «Salon de Paris» phenomenon with over one hundred paintings, sculptures, drawings and everyday art objects from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The exhibition aims to link how the classical tradition in art met contemporary life. Duration of exhibition until 28/10/2017 www.kunsthalle-muc.de
BERLIN
MARTIN-GROPIUS-BAU: LUCIAN FREUD: CLOSER
For the first time, 51 of Lucian Freud’s engravings are being exhibited in Berlin, his birth town. They are accompanied by a watercolour and two paintings, among them the masterpiece Double Portrait. Duration of exhibition until 22/11/2017 www.berlinerfestspiele.de
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