Athens is a city famous for its ancient and classical offerings but now it's home to the most important contemporary art museum in Greece.
The Acropolis, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis Museum in Athens will take you right back in time to Ancient Greece. But for an insight into contemporary art and the new generation of artists shaping Greek culture, a trip to the newly-opened National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) is a must.
The museum welcomed its first visitors on Friday, 28 February ahead of its official inauguration in April and will offer free admission throughout the month of March. Housed in the former Fix Brewery in the Koukaki district, the museum will showcase works of contemporary art in areas such as photography, new media, architecture, design and painting with contributions from local and international artists including Dimitris Alithinos, Carl Andre, Andrea Bowers, Dimosthenis Kokkinidis, Andreas Angelidakis and many more.
Before now, Athens was one of the only European capitals without such a museum, according to Greek culture minister Lina Mendoni. In a statement, she said EMST's opening marked a "historic day" for Greece after 20 years of setbacks, including a shortage of funds, postponed the opening date several times. While the building has been used as a cultural space for a number of years, it had never housed a permanent collection.
Before summer, the museum will open a coffee shop and a restaurant and will offer a programme of creative and educational events for all ages. EMST is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am until 7pm and is located just 300 metres from the Syngrou-Fix Metro Station and Tram Fix Station. For more information, see here.
