Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation Museum, Athens

The private collection of shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife Elise Karadontis, valued at about three billion US dollars, forms the core of this museum in the Pangrati district of Athens. Also known as the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art, it opened in October 2019 and displays many of the modern works the couple amassed before their deaths in 1994 and 2000.

The museum occupies a 1920s neoclassical mansion on Eratosthenous Street, joined to a ten-storey extension, half of it below ground. The permanent collection fills four floors above ground. One floor below ground is set aside for temporary exhibitions of Greek and foreign artists.

The lower levels also hold a library of around 4,500 books, a children's workshop and a 190-seat amphitheatre. A museum shop and a café-restaurant complete the building. The children's workshop makes the museum a good choice for families as well as for visitors focused on modern art.