The exhibition includes 83 works, part of a large Swiss private collection. It is a journey through the history of painting from 1870 to 2000, through 12 artistic movements.
83 masterpieces by 45 leading artists ofmodern and contemporary art, make up the stunning temporary exhibition "From Monet to Warhol: Three generations, one collection, a journey through the evolution of modern art", organised by the Basil & Warhol Foundation, Elise Goulandris Foundation and its museum in Pagrati, Athens.
Visitors have the extremely rare opportunity to see assembled works that marked the most defining moments in art over the last 130 years or more, from Impressionism to Pop Art, with stops in between at Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Abstraction and Surrealism.
The works, which are part of a large Swiss private collection, form a unique artistic panorama that spans more than 12 artistic movements. The exhibition reconstructs, through a fascinating dialogue of works, the history of painting from 1870 to 2000.
The exhibition's curator, Maria Koutsomalli-Moreau told Euronews about the origins of the show:"We found the idea of hosting an exhibition that presents us in a very condensed way the entire history of modern art from about 1870 to 2000 very attractive, and in a way to create an informal dialogue with the Foundation's collection. Because there are many common points, many common artists, but also many differences, and that's how the collector's taste comes across."
"First of all it is a collection created by three generations. To briefly mention a grandfather, a dad, a grandson and we really hope that the fourth generation will continue this work. Each had their own taste and financial means, the time in which they bought artwork," she added.
"What is forming as a general idea is that there is a very clear preference for the great artists, such as Monet, Warhol, Picasso and many others, but they also have their own preferences for lesser known artists. The key points that make this collection unique are the high quality in the sections on impressionism, neo-impressionism and pop art," explained Koutsomalli-Moreau.
"With my co-curator Marina Ferretti Bocquillon, Honorary Scientific Director of the Musée des impressionnismes in Giverny, we found it very difficult to make this selection, because the works you see here are a very small part of this collection. But we wanted to show all the important works in the collection and the main movements we see through it.
Preparing for the exhibition was the most enjoyable phase, but also the most difficult. And of course what is very impressive is to see how these people in 70 years have built one of the most important collections in the world,"saidKoutsomalli-Moreau.
"I think visitors don't want a lot of words, they don't want a lot of explanations. They want a direct contact with a work and they need to come and see these works, these paintings that they have seen on posters, in advertisements, because they want to create their own personal contact with them. And indeed you will never be able to change what you feel directly in front of a work," concludes Koutsomalli-Moreau.
It's taken only two months for the exhibition to become a major art event in Athens, attracting a large number of people. On weekends, the number of visitors often exceeds even 2,500 visitors. The Vassilis & Vassilis Foundation is the largest foundation of its kind in the world. Elise Goulandris Foundation has managed in recent years to become an extremely important art hub, hosting major exhibitions, collections and works from abroad:
"Indeed, these very ambitious exhibitions are made for the Greek public. For Greeks who should no longer feel obliged to go abroad to see important works from 1850 onwards. So we have the ambition to bring these works here. It is not easy. But the more such exhibitions we do, the more beautiful exhibitions we can propose," the curator stresses.
From Monet to Warhol continues at the Elise Goulandris Museum in Athens until 11 April 2026.
B&E Goulandris Podcasts
The B&E Goulandris Foundation's podcast series "B&E Goulandris Podcasts: an audio dive into the magical world of art" continues with a special tribute to the exhibition.
The second installment of the series consists of five episodes spanning over 130 years of creativity. The two curators guide listeners through the exhibition and the artistic movements presented, while painters George Rorris, Andreas Kontellis, Lida Kontogiannopoulou, Andreas Georgiadis and Manolis Anastasakos share their own experiences, talking about the artists who left their mark on them.
The podcasts are available on all platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, etc.), on goulandris.gr and at the exhibition space via QR codes.
