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The B&E Goulandris Collection

A series of bespoke products inspired by the masterpieces of the B&E Goulandris Collection.

We are delighted to host a collection of imaginative gifts from the Basil and Elise Goulandris foundation. This series of bespoke products draws inspiration from one of the most significant private collections ever assembled in Greece. The items include scented candles, bags, clutches, cotton baskets and placemats, silk and wool shawls and ceramics.

All of these are inspired by certain objects and themes that appear in the museum’s artwork and are created by Greek artisans.

For instance, Georges Braque’s work “La patience” (1942) adorns a silk satin shawl, while a detail found on the same painting brilliantly becomes the pattern for a clutch bag.

Similarly, the sculptures “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” by Edgar Degas and Rhinoceros by François-Xavier Lalanne, morph into patterns that beautifully decorate a series of delightful home and fashion accessories.

The B&E Goulandris Collection was amassed during the second half of the 20th century and is currently housed in the Foundation’s Museum in Athens. Its founders were passionate about art, and that connected them to the artistic circles of post-war Paris.

Their foundation created the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art on the island of Andros, Basil’s beloved birthplace.

However, it was always Basil’s & Elisa’s vision to create a space in Athens to accommodate their vast private collection and open it up to a wider audience. Unfortunately they passed away before seeing their dream being realized.

I had met the Goulandris when I was growing up. Elise’s niece, Fleurette Katsipi Karadonti, has been the guiding light of this project and it was very heartwarming to meet her and share her passion for what she does.

It was Fleurette together with Kyriakos Koutsomallis who undertook the materialization of Elise and Basil’s vision after their death. The realisation of the Athenian museum took almost twenty-six years due to numerous obstacles. The first construction site was planned for Rigilis Street, in Kolonaki, but the works had to stop due to the discovery of the ancient site of Aristotle’s Lyceum. The second site, at Rizari Park, was also rejected after the residents’ objections.

The Athens’ museum finally opened the doors of its astonishing building in 2019, in the heart of Athens, in the neighbourhood of Pangrati, near the Panathenaic Stadium. The impressive building has a total surface area of 7,250 sq.m. and consists of eleven floors.

The collection housed in the Athens’ museum focuses on modern and contemporary art by foreign and Greek artists and includes works by Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Degas, Rodin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Picasso, Braque, Léger, Miró, Giacometti, Balthus, as well as Parthenis, Bouzianis, Vassiliou, Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, Tsarouchis, Moralis and Tetsis.

The delightful products we include in A Magic Cabinet, are inspired by some of these significant works of art and offer a wonderful way to celebrate these masterpieces.
In the Foundation’s shop within our Magic Cabinet shop, you can admire and acquire these objects inspired by the greatest artists.

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