Eleni Kytoudi

Art de Vivre is an exploration of the people, ideas, and craftsmanship behind Greece’s most inspiring stories of luxury living. Each edition brings together stories and conversations that reflect the country’s cultural and creative identity.

In this second Spotlight feature, we revisit Christos Zampounis’s contribution to Art de Vivre, tracing the story of Basil and Elise Goulandris and the collection they assembled over a lifetime. From works by Van Gogh, Cézanne and Picasso to Bacon, Lichtenstein and contemporary Greek artists, the collection brings together some of the defining names of modern and contemporary art—and today has a permanent home in the heart of Athens at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation.

Originally written for Art de Vivre, Christos Zampounis’s story follows below in its original form.

When Basil Goulandris first saw the light of day on September 6, 1913, on the island of Andros, his future had already been set in motion. Shipping had been the traditional profession of his family since the 19th century and he, along with his brothers, could not deviate from that path. Skilled and insightful, in 1950 he took over the management of the family business, Orion Shipping and Trading Company. It was then and there that his passion for collecting artworks began.

In 1957, he attracted the attention of art-lovers and connoisseurs when he bid the record-setting amount of $255,000 for an artwork by Gauguin. He and his wife, Elise, shared the same passion and regularly acquired Impressionist as well as contemporary artworks. In 1979 they decided to establish the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, and during that same year they inaugurated the Museum of Modern Art in Andros.

However, the richness of their collection could not be contained within the walls of the small island museum, even though they added a new wing in the ‘80s. Consequently, they commissioned Chinese American architect Ι. M. Pei, renowned for the Louvre Pyramid, to design a Museum in Athens. The first location of choice was in the city center next to the Byzantine Museum. Yet the discovery of the remains from Aristotle’s Lyceum prevented its construction there.

It took three more decades of bureaucratic obstacles and legal battles before the Foundation’s Museum in Athens was finally able to open its doors to the public. In the meantime, its founders had passed away: Basil in 1994 and Elise in 2000.

Elise’s niece, Fleurette Karadontis, and Kyriakos Koutsomallis, who took over the Foundation’s management, hosted the Museum’s grand opening on October 1, 2019, at the new eleven-story building overlooking the Acropolis. The opening was attended by the President of Greece, the Prime Minister, ministers, and members of Greece’s financial, social, and artistic elite. It is an exemplary museum that contains an amphitheater, a library, restaurants, and an area for temporary exhibitions.

The Holy Face of Jesus (La Santa Faz) by El Greco is the first work visitors encounter as they enter the building on Eratosthenous Street. It is the only Renaissance work in a room with modern paintings. However, it conveys a powerful symbolic meaning relating to Hellenism, since El Greco, as his name implies, was originally from Crete. Next to it are several excellent paintings by Van Gogh.

It would be impossible to recount, within the limited scope of an article all the treasures the couple collected; therefore, I will mention only a few that are truly unique: Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for Self-Portrait, Rodin’s Eternal Springtime, Paul Klee’s Dynamics of a Head, Roy Lichtenstein’s Nude with White Flower, and Picasso’s Nude Woman with Raised Arms.

As Fleurette Karadontis, the Foundation’s president, aptly noted, “Basil and Elise didn’t have children. They treated their paintings as if they were their own children.”

This story is one of the many features presented in Art de Vivre | 10-Year Anniversary Edition, a celebration of the people, places, and ideas shaping exceptional living in Greece. The complete digital edition can be accessed via this link.

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