Greece’s Contemporary Art Museum to Open for Test Run

After a series of delays and setbacks, Greece’s National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), located in the heart of Athens, will open later this month for a trial period with free admission for students and Fix area residents, officials announced during a special event held on the premises this month.

The announcement was made during a recent event organized at the museum by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) in the presence of Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, SNF President Andreas Drakopoulos, and SNFCC architect Renzo Piano.

The museum will open for a one-month trial period as of February 24 thanks in large part to a “3-million-euro donation by the SNF, which ‘released’ a total of 44 million euros already allocated by the Greek state for the project”, said Mendoni.

“The [collaboration] between public and private entities can do miracles. Neither of the two can go it alone,” said Drakopoulos. “We believe this and we aim to demonstrate this with our donations.”

Mendoni added that according to a recent survey, a large majority of the Greek public supports public-private partnerships.

Construction on the former 1950s brewery to transform it into an 18,142m2 museum space started some 15 years ago but tedious legal procedures have held it “captive”. At some point the SNF withdrew the grant.