On Thursday May 18 at the B&E Goulandris Foundation

FREE ADMISSION, EXTENDED OPENING HOURS AND A RICH PROGRAMME OF SPECIALLY DESIGNED EVENTS

The Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, celebrated museum for 2023 by the Hellenic National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), has planned many different activities for Thursday May 18, International Museum Day, this year’s theme being “Museums, Sustainability and Well-being”. The Foundation will also remain open until 21.00 and admission will be free.

On Thursday May 18 a series of guided tours titled “Art and the Environment” will be taking place at the Foundation throughout the day. The guided tours will focus on works of the Collection that are related to the environment or highlight the consequences of human intervention on nature and the importance of upcycling.

Many creative workshops for children of different ages have also been scheduled, stressing the positive impact of creative activities on the entire family’s well-being and helping children learn about upcycling, among other things.

The Foundation’s specially designed activity for people aged 65+ and people with Mild Cognitive Impairment “Game for Adults” that focuses on “Art and the 5 Senses”, held in collaboration with thallo and with the support of the TIMA Charitable Foundation, will also take place. The programme encourages the elderly to interact and socialise and provides a safe way of expression, improving their quality of life.

The day will end with a concert by the De Profundis string orchestra, that will perform a selection of works praising spring, the time of nature’s revival.

All activities take place in Greek.

Detailed programme of events

→ GUIDED TOURS

Art and the Environment

Thematic guided tours of the Collection

Thursday May 18, 2023 | 15.00-15.30, 15.45-16.15, 19.00-19.30, 19.45-20.15

Discover a different aspect of the B&E Goulandris Foundation’s Collection, by exploring works by Greek and foreign artists that are related to the environment or highlight the consequences of human intervention on nature and the importance of upcycling.

→ ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES, PARENTS & CHILDREN

Time for music at the Museum: Tribute to Jean-Baptiste Lully

Interactive music programme for children from 6 months old up to 2.5 years old and a parent/guardian

Thursday May 18, 2023 | 13.00-13.40 & 13.50-14.30

In collaboration with the De Profundis string orchestra, the B&E Goulandris Foundation invites parents with children from 6 months old up to 2.5 years old to get acquainted with the Museum and its Collection of artworks through music!

With the help of the experienced musicians of the De Profundis Ensemble, children get to know different musical instruments and discover the magical world of music, surrounded by the unique works of art of the B&E Goulandris Foundation Collection.

A world made of paper!

Workshop for children aged 5-6

Thursday May 18, 2023 | 15.30-16.45

The creations of French artist Jean Dubuffet provide the incentive to experiment with a material that might be simple but has endless possibilities. Paper!

The A world made of paper! workshop invites children aged 5 to 6 to work together and create paper sculptures, drawing inspiration from the lightness of Dubuffet’s “Chair of Practical Function” and other works. Exploring the many uses of paper, they learn about all the possibilities and benefits of recycling.

A window and a story!

Workshop for children aged 3-4 and a parent/guardian

Thursday May 18, 2023 | 17.00-18.00

What do we really see when we look at a work of art? Do we see the same thing as children? Does a musician perceive visual information the same way as a doctor and if so, why does that happen?

At the A window and a story! workshop, children aged 3-4 work as a team to explore and interpret the work of Aris Koutroulis and then they create their own stories using the upcycling technique. The children receive the necessary incentives to create their own stories and then they make these stories come alive, using a variety of recyclable materials and techniques.

Painters of Movement!

Workshop for children from 20 months old up to 3 years old and a parent/guardian

Thursday May 18, 2023 | 18.00-18.50

The B&E Goulandris Foundation invites parents with children from 20 months old up to 3 years old to discover Jackson Pollock’s crazy lines and colourful splashes.

At the creative workshop Painters of Movement! parents and children get acquainted with Pollock’s action painting, as they move around and explore all possible ways that they can throw, spread and mix colours.

This workshop highlights the museum’s therapeutic role and stresses the positive impact of creative activities to the entire family’s health and well-being. With the help of games, movement and colours and by creating unique paintings, the bond between parent and child is strengthened while at the same time creativity, expression and experimentation are encouraged.

→ ACTIVITIES FOR 65+ AND PERSONS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Games for Adults: "Art and the 5 Senses"

Specially designed activity for 65+ and persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Thursday May 18, 2023 | 17.30-18.30 & 19.00-20.00

The specially designed activity for persons aged 65+ and persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment Art and the 5 Senses, that is part of the popular “Games for Adults” series run by the B&E Goulandris Foundation and thallo, creates a dialogue between the human senses and the Foundation’s Collection of works by stirring up different memories.

Museums and other cultural organisations are an important part of the ongoing dialogue regarding “active ageing” and the quality of life of the elderly. All the B&E Goulandris Foundation’s activities designed for people aged 65+, that are run in collaboration with thallo and with the support of the TIMA Charitable Foundation, are designed to encourage older people to socialise, to boost their self-confidence and provide a safe way of expression, improving their well-being.

→ MUSIC

“Spring”

Concert by the De Profundis string orchestra

Thursday May 18, 2023 | 20.00-21.00

The De Profundis string orchestra will perform works by Erlebach, Händel, Lully and Vivaldi, in a concert that praises spring, the time of nature’s revival.

From Erlebach’s Germany to Händel’s England and from Lully’s France to Vivaldi’s Italy, the concert programme includes works from the Baroque period, along with arias from operas inspired by mythology and the passions of gods and mortals. The concert will end with Vivaldi’s Spring, in a literal and metaphorical approach of the time of year that the natural world wakes up and humanity finds itself in harmony with the environment.