Athens’ National Museum of Contemporary Art Ready for Action in 2018

National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST). Photo by Stephie Grape.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) located in the heart of Athens will be fully operational next year, its director Katerina Koskina told a press conference last week.

Construction on the former 1950s brewery to transform it into an 18,142m2 museum space started some 11 years ago. The legal procedures however have still not been completed, resulting in its losing a significant grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and being unable to open fully to the public. According to Koskina, the museum’s regulatory framework is now in place with 58 employees and all debts settled which means it can re-apply for the SNF donation in order to acquire the necessary equipment and for relevant studies to proceed so that the museum can be put into full operation.

National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST). Photo by Spiros Rekounas.

The EMST first opened its doors in the spring of 2016 working with the Fluxum Foundation and Flux Laboratory. Plans now include collaborations with Italy or France.

Museum management estimates that collaborative activities abroad have attracted over 1,500,000 visitors to date. Currently it is hosting the ongoing “Chinese XIEYI: Masterpieces from the National Art Museum of China” within the framework of the Year of Cultural Exchanges between Greece and China, the art and entrepreneurship workshop set for November 10, and the representation of Greece at the 57th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in Venice through to November 26, among others.