g- the 9th volume of B. & E. Goulandris Foundation by B&E Goulandris Foundation

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2014 The bimonthly electronic journal of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation

EDITORIAL TEAM

Georgia Alevizaki, Paraskevi Gerolymatou, Andreas Georgiadis, Maria Koutsomallis, Alexandra Papakostopoulou, Maria Skamaga, Irene Stratis Designed and edited by

Τ +30 210 - 7252896 www.moca-andros.gr | www.goulandris.gr

CONTENTS

IN PLACE OF A PROLOGUE

By Kyriakos Koutsomallis, Director of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation

CONTEMPORARY GREEK ART F rom t h e F oun d ation â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s P ermanent C ollection

P R E S E N TAT I O N

The Virtual Basil and Elise Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art

e d ucation program s for c h il d ren in Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, Moca - Andros

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 Y. Moralis, Erotic

FORMER BEGF SCHOLARS Alexandra Stara

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 A list of major art shows around the world

I N P L A C E O F A P R O LO G U E

In this issue of our online bulletin we are very happy to present to our many readers, whose interest in the Foundation's activities continues undiminished, the new website of the Andros Museum of Contemporary Art. We are also very excited to include here an interview with former recipient of the BEGF scholarship Alexandra Stara, which we believe our readers will find quite intriguing. Stara, a graduate of the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (formerly the Metsovion Polytechnic) completed a postgraduate research degree (PhD) in London almost twenty years ago, which focused on the place of the art museum in city planning, and received many distinctions, and which we had the chance to support through our scholarships program. Stara has since been active in both the academic field and the broader field of culture in the UK. Lastly, we would like to inform our readers that following the Sophia Vari exhibit at MoCA, Andros, which was favorably reviewed in the press and attracted large crowds of Greek and international visitors, the museum will remain open throughout the winter months and will be presenting curated exhibits from its permanent collection (October - May).

Kyriakos Koutsomallis Director

RECENT NEWS

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

CONTEMPORARY GREEK ART From the Foundation’s Permanent Collection

The Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation Museum of Contemporary Art in Chora, Andros, will remain open through the winter months, presenting works of painting and sculpture from the Foundation’s permanent collection in an exhibition titled Contemporary Greek Art. The exhibition includes work from the following artists: George Bouzianis, Dikos Βyzantios, George Chadoulis, John Christoforou, Anna Grigora, Alekos Fasianos, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, Yannis Moralis, Dimitris Mytaras, George Rorris, Pavlos Samios, Evanthia Soutoglou, Theodore Stamos, Panayiotis Tetsis, Yannis Tsarouchis, Sophia Vari, Spyros Vassiliou. The exhibition hopes to provide a platform for dialogue between artists from different generations; more importantly, between artists that represent different perceptions of art. The exhibition’s approach is thematic rather than chronological and it therefore eschews linearity as far as its narrative is concerned. It is scheduled to run until 31 May 2015.

www.moca-andros.gr

presentation

Welcome to the virtual world of MoCA, Andros! The Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation has recently completed 'The Virtual Basil and Elise Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art', a project funded through the Greek government's 'Digital Plan'. The project included: •

digitizing and documenting the Foundation's collection

•

building the Interactive Museum

•

creating a Collections Management System

•

creating the Virtual Museum

Especially as regards the latter, the project included an upgrading of the museum's website www.moca-andros.gr, which now features a range of useful applications addressed to all visitors, including children, and the complete archive of past exhibits in the museum's long history.

All the past exhibitions of the Museum

ΕΛΛ | ENG

TΟ ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟ ΤΩΡΙΝΗ

ΕΠΙΣΚΕΨΗ |

ΕΚΘΕΣΕΙΣ

ΣΥΛΛΟΓΗ

Παρελθουσεσ

ΔΡΑΣΤΗΡΙΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗ |

ΠΩΛΗΤΗΡΙΟ

ΜΟΝΙΜΗ ΕΚΘΕΣΗ

2012 ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΖΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΟ ΣΟΥΡΕΑΛΙΣΜΟ 2011 ΝΙΚΟΣ χΑΤΖΗΚΥΡΙΑΚΟΣ ΓΚΙΚΑΣ 2010 ISAMU NOGUCHI 2009 Ο PAUL DELVAUX ΚΑΙ Η ΑΡχΑΙΟΤΗΤΑ 2012 ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΖΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΟ ΣΟΥΡΕΑΛΙΣΜΟ 2011 ΝΙΚΟΣ χΑΤΖΗΚΥΡΙΑΚΟΣ ΓΚΙΚΑΣ 2010 ISAMU NOGUCHI 2009 Ο PAUL DELVAUX ΚΑΙ Η ΑΡχΑΙΟΤΗΤΑ

2012

2011

2010

προςέΓΓιζοντάς το ςουρέάλιςΜο

νικος χάτζηκυριάκος

isaMu noGucHi

Γκικάς

«ένάς ςυΓχρονιςΜένος άιώνιος»

άνάΜέςά ςέ άνάτολη κάι δυςη

2009

2008

Paul delvaux

ι. Μοράλης

κάι η άρχάιοτητά

Μιά άνιχνέυςη

presentation

MuseumPlus: An integrated system for the management of the Foundation's digital collection and online activities. MuseumPlus, one of the world's leading collection management software helps the Foundation meet current and future needs in terms of collection and activity management, while also making the virtual presentation of the collection possible.

Virtual museum website design and development

Virtual museum interactive applications Virtual tours Interactive timeline Online biographies of MoCA, Andros, founders Educational applications Visitors' book

presentation

Building an interactive section within the permanent exhibit Two information points with specially designed touch screens are available for museum visitors. Screens provide access to the content of the virtual museum and the biographies of MoCA, Andros founders. The museum also features a learning corner, where three computers offer young visitors access to the virtual museum's educational applications.

Complementary activities Twenty educational kits, as well as the virtual museum's complete digital content are made available for instructors to use either in the classroom or during visits to the museum itself.

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ΨΗΦΙΑΚΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΕΠΤΩΝ

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Άκου τους πίνακες! Ανακάλυψε τους ήχους που κρύβονται στους πίνακες

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ΨΗΦΙΑΚΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΕΠΤΩΝ

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Ποιος;

πότε & πως; Σε αυτό το παιχνίδι πρέπει να μπεις στο ρόλο του ιστορικού της τέχνης και να ανακαλύψεις ποιοι καλλιτέχνες δημιούργησαν τα έργα που παρουσιάζονται. Πρέπει ακόμη να βρεις με ποιον τρόπο δημιούργησαν τα έργα αυτά και να τα ταιριάξεις με το καλλιτεχνικό ρεύμα στο οποίο ανήκουν!

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ΨΗΦΙΑΚΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΕΠΤΩΝ

ΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑ

FIVE NEW GAMES FOR OUR YOUNG FRIENDS Short tales about big works... Listen to the voice of the paintings Who? When? How? The myster y of sculptures Little explorers, big artists!

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TΟ ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟ

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Τα μυστηριώδη γλυπτά Στη συλλογή του μουσείου μας υπάρχουν δύο παράξενα έργα που κρύβουν πολλά μυστικά/ δύο μυστηριώδη γλυπτά . Διάλεξε ένα από τα δύο για να ξεκινήσεις την εξερεύνηση! Εάν απαντήσεις στις ερωτήσεις θα λύσεις τα μυστήρια/ θα μάθεις τα μυστικά τους!

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ΨΗΦΙΑΚΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΕΠΤΩΝ

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TΟ ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟ

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ΠΑΙΧΝΙΔΙΑ

Μικροί εξερευνητές, μεγάλοι δημιουργοί!

Πωπωω! Με πόσους τρόπους οι ζωγράφοι χρησιμοποιούν τα χρώματα στους καμβάδες τους!!! Πάτησε την μπλε πιτσιλιά για να τοποθετήσεις τα κομμάτια που λείπουν, την κίτρινη για να χρωματίσεις το δικό σου έργο και τη κόκκινη για να δεις τα έργα των φίλων μας!

δες!

βρες! ζωγράφισε!

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ΨΗΦΙΑΚΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΕΠΤΩΝ

ΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑ

RECENT NEWS

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART E D U C AT I O N A L P R O G R A M S

I N S I D E T H E F O U N D AT I O N ' S PERMANENT COLLECTION

Yannis Moralis (1916 - 2009)

Erotic Acrylic on canvas, 145 x 123 cm, 1977

The sensuality of geometric nonfiguration 1976 marks for Yannis Moralis the beginning of a period devoted exclusively to pure geometric abstraction. This is a period in which Moralis becomes entirely preoccupied with combinations of lines based on the discourse and principles of constructivism, eventually yielding new morphoplastic results. His language takes on the austere character of geometrism and culminates in formulating the most sophisticated abstract aesthetics. His compositions are determined by a harmonious, consonant, melodious alternation between the straight line and the curve, which properly fulfills his own visual needs and imparts upon his subject the mystical spirituality of geometrism. Form now becomes wholly immaterial; it evaporates and dissolves into sheer schema. The work’s monumental character does not compromise its sensual quality. Instead, sensuality achieves its transcendental expression. In no way does the solidness of sensual volume – suggestive of nothing but the nude – subtract from any of the work’s gentleness and grace, lyrical power and density. Even though it is hard to draw clear lines between the various periods in Moralis’ work, one might perhaps maintain that his moderate use of the language of abstraction during the 50s seems to evolve and eventually to culminate, in the post-1970 period, into a thorough, seamless example of geometric abstraction. Thenceforth, colour and light, will act in unison to sublimate the tangible, so that matter can attain all its abstract clarity.

FORMER BEGF SCHOLARS

Alexandra Stara Fellow I.V.E.G. scholar in 1993-94 for the continuation of postgraduate research within thesis on "The historical and Ideological / Philosophical Exploration of the concept of museum and specifically the art museum".

Art = Necessity. Art = Learning. Art = Communication. What else? Speaking about Ancient Greece as an example to be emulated by contemporary societies Hannah Arendt reminds us that art teaches men how to be civilians. Taking this as my cue then I would say that art also equals education, collective memory and imagination, a certain ethos and culture. Are there 'masterpieces' being made today? When it comes to art or architecture the term 'masterpiece' strikes me as a little problematic, because it may imply a range of different things depending on the angle one takes. If the term is used to refer to a work's timelessness, then, for one, we need to wait before we can establish this, and then again it is certainly a risk because the actual era that is making the judgment comes under criticism every bit as much as the one being judged. For example, successive cultures in Europe spanning centuries of historical time came to view the art of the Middle Ages – including many medieval cathedrals – as a primitive art, an art that was inferior to many examples of classicism that we would hardly deem worthy of preservation today. On the other hand, if we accept the axiomatic value of the modernist principle then it should follow that our own time is brimming with masterpieces. If now size is what makes the difference, again our age has the advantage since we can now build entire cities from scratch in only a few months time. But if we are looking for something more meaningful, then we must invent a new language. Answers to the first question – both the ones you have provided and my own – already hint at a perception that takes the arts to be integral to the human condition, a core element of our collective being. In other words, they are deeply situational. Therefore, notions like that of the relevant and the proper – a nice word that speakers of modern Greek seem to have misunderstood, whose meaning is expressed in part by another English word, appropriate, and by the Latin decorum, the latter being the root of yet another misconceived term, decoration – are rather closer to being the answer. These terms are dialectical in that they acknowledge the dependence of the arts upon a given context, what Heidegger would call a 'world', and are therefore accountable to that world at the same time that they are open, as all proper dialogue should be, to something more, that is to the creative act. I will then answer your question by saying that today we build more, with more freedom but with less of a sense of awe before the actual buildings themselves and their

meaning than ever before, because our time permits it and because its priorities and claims are different to those of the past. We therefore tend to create works that are rash and expendable, but we also create exquisite works that do credit to the definition of architecture as much as their predecessors. The biggest challenge of our fragmented multidimensional contemporary reality may just be to settle on which is which! In a recent book Jean Clair claimed that our culture, art in particular, is going through a period of winter and a harsh one at that. What is your view of our age? I agree with the great French historian and critic that in the last decades we have witnessed a cultural winter, which has been the result of unbridled commercialization of all aspects of social life to start with, and, consequently, of the rise of an insatiable and self-procreating bureaucracy that replaces the spirit of laws and principles. Having had a twenty-year work experience in the academic and cultural communities in the UK, a country with a long tradition of excellence in both realms, I lately find myself despairing over the extent to which it appears to have lost its way. And yet culture is resilient enough, because its roots are deep and its branches are many... Following that mini latter-day Enlightenment of the 60s and the expectations it raised, the kind of mass-communication-induced stupor that now prevails and the sacrifice of all values on the altar of populism appear almost tragic. At the same time, though, we cannot fail to acknowledge the fact that more people than ever before, in actual numbers that is, dedicate their lives to supporting these values â&#x20AC;&#x201C; culture, the arts and letters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and that for every misleading, ear-pleasing motto or catchy concept out there there is the equivalent in works and ideas that are ethical and meaningful and that can open up new horizons. This kind of availability has no precedent in the history of humanity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from the sheer number of art shows and theater productions running at any given moment in a European city nowadays as opposed to fifty or a hundred years ago, to the inconceivable wealth of international literature anyone with internet access can read online. Obviously, this does not immediately translate as culture as it is more a compilation of fragments that must first be absorbed into a foundation of learning and values

FORMER BEGF SCHOLARS both personal and collective – or else, a certain 'ethos' in the most fundamental sense of the word – before they can take on relevance. It is precisely that foundation which I think is currently covered under a thick blanket of snow, but it is nonetheless still there and the incentives for one to go looking for it and in turn to redefine it are by no means negligible. And finally here we are, as are many others, talking, writing, painting, building, teaching, rending our garments as it were, but never giving up because ultimately it is only snow and snow will melt. There is a big debate going on these days as to how the creative industry might help the rest of the industries cope with the hardships that humanity is currently facing. If this is in fact a legitimate question, how would you view that help. What would it imply in practice? True enough, the potential of the creative industry to help with economic growth is now widely debated internationally, but I would not want to comment on it as it is out of my particular area of expertise. I would however venture an observation, though not from the economic perspective but rather from that of the creative industries themselves. There is absolutely nothing wrong with mining the arts and letters for practical applications or gains where conditions so allow: take, for instance, British and American universities that attract international students, or the integration of design in production, a lesson the Italians were the first to teach, both models that have substantially contributed to boosting the respective national economies. But to consider the arts and sciences first and foremost as a source of revenue is the exact opposite. Unfortunately, this is the case in many countries around the world, from which, sadly, Britain is not excluded, where all of a sudden all research councils, under direct orders from the department for culture, can no longer fund any project in the arts or humanities unless it implies some tangible benefit – preferably financial – for which detailed proof must be provided in advance. Which means that if I want to study a collection of medieval manuscripts that may for all the world change our perception of life in a town circa 1000 AD but has no practical applications here and now, the government will simply turn its back on me. I need not elaborate further here as to how and why the implications of such a commercialization of culture – wherein things have no inherent value in themselves unless they can translate into some immediate concrete gain – can only be devastating not just today but also, and perhaps more so, in the long run. I would like to think that resorting to such extreme measures is only the fitful reaction of governments that were caught completely off guard by the recent economic meltdown. I hope they are temporary, but I must confess that of all the issues discussed here this is the one I am most concerned about. Which aspect of Greece do you carry along with you as a valued part of your identity? The Greek language, an ark of untold cultural and philosophical wealth.

If the architect's role is to bring beauty into the world, how then can architects cope with a reality centered on expediency rather than principle, where everything is sacrificed on the altar of profit making? In his essay The Relevance of the Beautiful German thinker Hans-Georg Gadamer offers a brilliant analysis of beauty, tackling western culture's attachment to appearances and the amnesia with which it seems to have been afflicted as of late, and reminding his readers of the cultural and cosmological meaning of the word. But this is far removed from the dominant definition of beauty today, which seems merely to be scratching the surface in an approach of aesthetics that is entirely cut off from any notions of the ethical. I am therefore forced to disagree with you when you say that the role of the architect is to provide beauty. However, precisely because that role is complex and has many aspects to it – synthesis and orchestration, creation and interpretation – it is even more vulnerable to attacks from those out to make a profit and, even worse than that, to the kind of pervasive commercialization of culture that for all its underhand manner is certainly more corrosive. I would think there is no single recipe for dealing with these situations. What we do have for sure is an abundance of examples illustrating that to deal with them is actually possible. By nature the practice of architecture is not a personal matter, which means that compromise – or dialogue if you will – is inherent to it. A martyr-like resistance against 'Capital' is out of the question, because that would simply mean you don't get a chance to build at all! Rather, the idea is trying, whenever and however possible, to opt for wellthought-out quality solutions instead of the easiest or cheapest ones. Peter Zumthor creates seminal architecture accepting only the most intriguing, at times even eccentric projects, from clients that give him carte blanche as to both design and construction (see: budget), but there are so many other architects out there who may not be enjoying this luxury and yet produce brilliant work, by analogy, taking on the challenges they face with both courage and honesty.

Which aspect of Greece do you carry along with you as a valued part of your identity? The Greek language, an ark of untold cultural and philosophical wealth. What are the basic moral principles and vital lessons you try to instill in your students at a time when the culture (or pseudo-culture) of the image reigns supreme over absolutely everything? First of all that creating – architecture no less – is not something done in isolation. Architecture in particular relies as much on creating as it does on interpreting. What I have already said regarding relevance and a dialogue with existing conditions, in which architecture always comes to intervene, form the core of my teaching, and history plays a pivotal role in helping assimilate these lessons. I should stress, though, that my view of history is not one that fetishizes the past but rather one that uses the past as a lens through which to look at and interpret the present – therefore, it is a critical evaluation of the development of ideas, societies, politics, and specific works. However, an equally important lesson to bear in mind, precisely because, as you too have remarked, we now find ourselves caught in the maelstorm of image culture, is this: architecture is not image. It is the upshot of our existence as embodied beings equipped with the five senses, that is beings present in and moving through space and time, and it is that existence which it in turn addresses. Architecture structures the context of our experience, and in a universal manner at that, especially when it comes to urban environments where most of us dwell these days. If architectural design yields to the temptation of the facile and impressive image, which is often the case today, it is not just architecture that is being undermined, but our very existence itself, as we find ourselves in the predicament of living in buildings and cities created to be looked at rather than lived in. Ultimately, though, there is no bigger lesson to be learned than the hope itself, in fact the conviction, that if one is true enough and bold enough – and has some communication skills to boot! – they can rise above any hurdle, be it a labyrinthine bureaucracy, a callous state, a short-sighted client, or an unscrupulous builder, and deliver good work.

INTERNATIONAL LISTINGS / CULTURE

LONDON

NATIONAL GALLERY REMBRANDT – LATE WORKS

LONDON

TATE BRITAIN Late Turner: Painting Set Free

Bringing together well-known masterpieces and rare drawings and prints the exhibition examines the themes that seem to have preoccupied the artist as he was growing old: self-control, experimentation, light and the observation of everyday life, the work of other artists even, as well as expressions of intimacy and reflection, conflict and reconciliation.

The first extensive exhibition of JMW Turner's later work sheds light on an especially creative period in his painting (1835-1850) during which the artist would paint some of his most resonant and celebrated works.

LONDON

Exhibition runs from 10 September 2014 through to 18 January 2015. www.tate.org.uk

Exhibition runs from 15 October 2014 through to 18 January 2015. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

TATE MODERN Alibis: Sigmar Polke 1963-2010

This Polke retrospective offers a panorama of the surprising range of media the artist used over the fifty odd years of his career. The exhibition has been organized in collaboration with MoMA, New York. Exhibition runs from 9 October 2014 through to 8 February 2015 www.tate.org.uk

THE COURTAULD GALLERY EGON SCHIELE - THE RADICAL NUDE

Egon Schiele (1890-1918) is a twentieth century master and a central figure of Austrian Expressionism. The exhibit brings together an important body of nudes – over thirty works – that illustrate the pioneering spirit of his short but seminal career. Exhibition runs from 23 October 2014 through to 18 January 2015. http://www.courtauld.ac.uk

PA R I S

CENTRE POMPIDOU Marcel Duchamp. La peinture, mĂŞme

The show brings together almost 100 works by Duchamp, focusing especially on his preliminary drawings and studies for The Large Glass (La grand verre, 1915-1923). Exhibition runs from 24 September 2014 through to 5 January 2015. www.centrepompidou.fr

PA R I S

MusĂŠe d'Orsay Sade. Attacking the Sun

Following the analysis of the writer Annie Le Brun, a specialist of Sade, the exhibition will be focusing on the revolution of representation opened up by the author's writings, through works by Goya, Gericault, Ingres, Rops, Rodin, Picasso. Exhibition runs from 14 October 2014 through to 25 January 2015. www.musee-orsay.fr

PA R I S

GRAND PALAIS HOKUSAI

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is today the most celebrated Japanese artist in the world. His works evoke the spirituality and soul of his homeland, adroitly blending traditional values in Japanese art and the artist's own western influences. The exhibit features 500 outstanding works. Exhibition runs from 1 October 2014 through to 18 January 2015. www.grandpalais.fr

ROME

Museo dell'Ara Pacis HENRI CARTIER BRESSON

An exhibition devoted to the work of photography master Henri Cartier Bresson, featuring next to his photographs a collection of documents, drawings, books, and magazines. Exhibition runs from 26 September 2014 through to 6 January 2015. www.arapacis.it

INTERNATIONAL LISTINGS / CULTURE

VIENNA

ALBERTINA MUSEUM: Joan Mirรณ

This Miro monograph brings together almost 100 works by the Catalan artist including paintings, drawings, and art objects. The works on show resonate with the rare poetry for which the famous surrealist was known. Exhibition runs from 12 September 2014 through to 11 January 2015. www.albertina.at

BASEL

FONDATION BEYELER SAISON COURBET

An extensive survey of the work of Gustave Courbet, one of the most important precursors of Modernism: the show features his seminal landscapes, self-portraits, and nudes, especially his representations of female nudes by the water. His famous work L'origine du monde will be shown for the first time in Europe outside of France. Exhibition runs from 7 Sept. 2014 through to 18 Jan. 2015. www.fondationbeyeler.ch

VIENNA

Kunsthistorisches Museum Velรกzquez

This is the first exhibition of the work of Spanish master Diego Velรกzquez (1599-1660) to take place in a German-speaking country. Apart from his signature portraits of royalty, the show features still lifes, religious and mythological subjects, thus offering an overview of his oeuvre. The exhibition is a collaborative project for which the Kunsthistorisches Museum teams up with Madrid's Museo Nacional del Prado, London's National Gallery, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Exhibition runs from 28 October 2014 through to 15 February 2015. www.khm.at/

VIENNA

LEOPOLD MUSEUM ALBERTO GIACOMETTI

This is a tribute to one of the most important sculptors of the twentieth century (19011966). Alberto Giacometti's works rank today among the world's most expensive artworks. Exhibition runs from 17 October 2014 through to 26 January 2015. www.leopoldmuseum.org

ΜΟΜΑ

NEW YORK

The exhibit features Matisse's paper cut-outs: as many as 120 works created between 1943 and 1954, many of which have never been shown before. Exhibition runs from 12 October 2014 through to 8 February 2015. www.moma.org

TOKYO

Setagaya Art Museum SEARCHING UTOPIA

The exhibition showcases approximately 180 posters created by renowned artists like Vassily Kandinsky and Kasimir Malevich as well as Russian avant-garde designers such as the Sternberg brothers and Alexander Rodchenko. Exhibition runs from 30 September through to 24 November 2015. www.setagayaartmuseum.or.jp

NEW YORK

ΜΟΜΑ Jean Dubuffet

The show draws its content from the Museum's permanent collection, charting Dubuffet's gradual turn toward complete abstraction through a selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, and books illustrated by the artist. Exhibition runs from 18 October 2014 through to 5 April 2015. www.moma.org

W A SH I N G T O N

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART EL GRECO

The National Gallery of Art organizes this exhibition to commemorate the fourth centenary of the death of El Greco. The exhibition features 11 works both from the gallery's permanent collection and from other Washington- area collections. Laocoön (16101614), his only mythological work is also included. Exhibition runs from 2 November 2014 through to 16 February 2015. www.nga.gov

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B E Goulandris Foundation Ίδρυμα Β Ε Γουλανδρή 32