Museum of Cycladic Art

The Museum of Cycladic Art was founded in 1986 to house Nikolaos and Aikaterini (Dolly) Goulandris’s collection of Cycladic and ancient Greek art.

Since then, the Museum has developed into a living cultural institution of international scope and renown, focusing on the promotion of the ancient civilizations of the Aegean and Cyprus, with particular emphasis on Cycladic art of the 3rd millennium BC.

Nikolaos and Dolly Goulandris obtained an official collector’s license in the early 1960s. Over time, they created an important collection, which included impressive creations of Early Cycladic art, Minoan and Mycenaean antiquities, an important collection of jewellery and other artefacts of the Geometric period, and numerous decorated vases of the Archaic and Classical periods.

Dolly (Aikaterini) Koumantaros was born in 1921 and spent her early years in England and the United States. She was the daughter of shipowner Ioannis Koumantaros from Sparta and Flora Nomikos, the offspring of a ship-owning family from Santorini. In 1948, she married Nikolaos Goulandris, a shipowner and emblematic President of Olympiacos FC in the 1970s.

In 1962, Dolly N. Goulandris obtained a Collector’s license from the Archaeological Council under the direction of the late Ioannis Papadimitriou. Over time, she amassed a significant collection of antiquities, including remarkable creations of the Early Cycladic period, Minoan and Mycenaean antiquities, precious jewelry and other objects of the Geometric Period, and numerous vases of the Archaic, Classical and Byzantine eras.

Dolly Goulandris grew up with a deep appreciation for art and a pure admiration for antiquity. She possessed a unique talent for recognizing shapes and forms. Since 1958, she has spent many joyful summers accompanying her husband, Nikos, on his fishing adventures on the Greek islands. Back then, Cycladic art was not as popular as it is today. But there were still enthusiasts—both local and foreign visitors—eager to explore the somewhat underrated local museums already established in the Cyclades.

Dolly Goulandris immediately grasped the significance of the stark yet minimal forms of this art. She instinctively understood that people who came in contact and became familiar with these peculiar forms would share her fascination.

Dolly set about quickly to share her discovery. In 1962, she applied for and was granted a “License for Private Collection” by the then General Director of Antiquities of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Ioannis Papadimitriou.

The issuance of this permit was instrumental to the success of Dolly and Niko’s efforts, enabling them to acquire antiquities both in Greece and abroad.

Dolly Goulandris quickly gained experience and managed to assemble a Cycladic collection that stands out for both its quality and completeness. In collaboration with experienced Greek and foreign archaeologists, the objects were documented, preserved, photographed, and systematically studied. In 1968, the first Cycladic catalogue of the collection was published.

With the donation of the Collection to her newly established N.P. Goulandris Foundation (1985), Dolly Goulandris dedicated herself to the completion of the construction and equipment of a new building, intended as a museum, in an accessible location in the center of Athens.

The museum was constructed using materials found in the Cyclades, such as white marble and granite. Its façade was lined with large glass windows that, as they reflect the blue sky, are reminiscent of the majestic Cycladic landscape.

The Museum of Cycladic Art was inaugurated on January 26, 1986.
The meticulously designed initial core provided an ideal home for the permanent housing of the Collection.

Dolly’s persistent efforts in the years that followed, were decisive for the gradual expansion of the Museum. Significant additional space was allocated for accommodating a growing academic, curatorial, and administrative staff, as well as expanded areas for all forms of temporary exhibitions, leading to the Museum’s current form.

Under Dolly’s guidance, the Museum of Cycladic Art evolved into a dynamic organization focusing on the research of ancient and modern Greek culture, the presentation of archaeological exhibitions, art exhibits of many types, the publication of monographs and exhibition catalogues, and the organization of lectures and seminars both for scholars and the public.

Dolly had a special interest in children’s education. She believed that young people should be equipped with the necessary and qualitative tools that would broaden their vision toward the wonders of artistic appreciation. Many young Athenian adults can still remember their early visits to the Museum of Cycladic Art and how they were guided at the time to create clay models of those peculiar figurines to which they had so recently been first exposed.

Dolly Goulandris had the charisma and the unique ability to develop long-term friendships and, above all, creative relationships with talented individuals in the realm of culture. This ability was channeled to the benefit of the Museum, which was favored with international recognition. Multidimensional collaborations with major institutions around the world resulted in the organization of exceptional exhibitions in which masterpieces of global art coexisted with the exhibits of the permanent collections of the Museum of Cycladic Art.

Dolly Goulandris once said she sought “a culture without borders”. She devoted the better part of her life to the pursuit of this ideal and Cycladic Art became far more accessible to the general public achieving the worldwide recognition it always deserved. Her success in this endeavor was widely acclaimed and led to many international distinctions.

Dolly was a determined woman who left an indelible mark on the world. Her life experience encompassed what for many would have seemed a multitude of lives.

Somewhere along her journey, she ran into her first Cycladic figurine. And from that moment she felt the unique joy of giving, of “sharing”. In the background, her life was dedicated to this purpose: a lifetime journey to share her “Cycladic Vision.”

Dolly Goulandris served as President of the N. & N. Goulandris Foundation-Museum of Cycladic Art until her death on February 15, 2008. She passed away at the age of 87, believing that “the museum will not be lost without me. I don’t know if it was worth dedicating my life to it, but I did. I can’t go back now. If I did something good or bad, time will be the judge.”