The Last Grand Tour

Α collective presentation of works by world-renowned artists, which seeked to remind the reasons why our country has been and continues to be a place of inspiration and creativity, a source of pioneering ideas and progress.

Bringing together for the first time work by the internationally renowned artists who have lived and worked in Greece during the twentieth century, the exhibition looked at Greece as a site of inspiration over the past sixty years. Reflecting the various ways in which the country, its long cultural history and geographic characteristics have continued to be a source for artistic innovation, the exhibition brought to light both well-known visitors as well as those who have quietly been present over the last decades.

Among the questions that the exhibition raised are how has the role of ancient culture changed in contemporary art and at what point did artists cease to travel to Greece for extended periods of time. The exhibition brought to light the striking shift in contemporary culture that has seemingly witnessed an end to the traditional ‘Grand Tour’ so closely associated with Byron and his fellow Romantic artists. Where do artists seek inspiration now and what parallel can be drawn with the current globalised age of hyper-mobility and the travel and cultural explorations of previous generations of artists?