Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation

The Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1979. Its main objective is the operation of its two museums, on the island of Andros and in Athens, while also promoting the visual arts on a domestic and international level. Its founders and inspirers were Basil and Elise Goulandris, a couple deeply passionate about art. Painting, mainly of the École de Paris, was their primary focus of interest, connecting them to the artistic circles of post-war Paris while at the same time, by using their heightened artistic senses, they promoted young Greek artists, helping them to evolve their art and expand their artistic horizons. Their Collection is one of the most important private collections created during the second half of the 20th century. As is the case with most private collections, the selection criteria for the works which are included in it were purely subjective. Although Basil and Elise Goulandris were surrounded by renowned historians and professionals from the art market already in the early 1950s, the couple chose these specific works guided only by their personal preferences and aesthetic codes. They built their collection with care, patience and true devotion over a period of nearly fifty years and this with the aim that it would one day be exhibited in their museum. Their wish was the creation of a museum in Athens, which would provide the opportunity for a broader audience to come into contact and become familiar with the art they so loved. They envisaged a lively cultural organization, on a par with internationally acclaimed institutions in the field of the visual arts. The main purpose of the Museum of the B&E Goulandris Foundation in Athens is to house this Collection and make it accessible to the public, in accordance with the wish of its founders.