The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens

Greece › Athens › Museums › Museum of Cycladic Art
Updated: August 15, 2022
By Santorini Dave

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Darkly-lit room filled with displays of ancient sculpture

The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens houses one of the world’s most complete private collections of its kind.

Tickets: GetYourGuide.com (Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.)

Located in central Athens, the excellent and kid-friendly Museum of Cycladic Art was founded in 1986 to house the private collection of Dolly and Nikolaos Goulandris (members of a prominent Greek shipping family) – one of the most complete private collections of Cycladic art in the world.

The museum comprises two main buildings connected by an impressive entrance and an atrium. The permanent collection is housed in the main building and divided by 4 floors: Cycladic Art, Ancient Greek Art, Ancient Cypriot Art, and Scenes from daily life in Antiquity – including videos Ancient Greeks experiences including weddings, births, education, physical training, bidding warriors farewell, and funerals. Temporary exhibits are housed in an 1895 neoclassical mansion once belonging to the Stathatos shipping family; these exhibits focus primarily on contemporary art. Works of Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Struth, Louise Bourgeois, Sarah Lucas, Ugo Rondinone, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Ai Weiwei, and Cy Twombly have been among the artists hosted.

There’s a shop on site selling modern designer jewelry and a great selection of books on Greek history and archeology, as well as a courtyard café/restaurant that serves delicious breakfast, sandwiches, salads, coffee and other beverages. Located in central Athens, about a 650 meter walk from Syntagma Square.

Museum of Cycladic Art Hours and Information

  • Hours: Sunday 11am to 5pm. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm. Thursday 10am to 8pm. Closed Tuesdays. Closed January 1, Clean Monday, March 25, Orthodox Easter Sunday & Monday, May 2, Holy Spirit Monday, August 15, December 25 & 26.
  • Website: cycladic.gr
  • Location: Neofitou Douka 4
  • Telephone: +30 210 722 8321-3
  • Admission Fee: General admission 10€; Reduced admission (seniors & students 19-26 years) 7€.
  • Free Entry: Kids under 18, disabled visitors plus one guest.
  • Parking: Street parking, nearby pay lots.
  • Nearest Metro: Evangelismos, Syntagma

Athens Museum of Cycladic Art

Exterior of a yellow neoclassical mansion with white pillars and a Greek flag

The Museum of Cycladic Art is located in central Athens, not far from Syntagma Square.

Elegant marble hallway with a circular wooden staircase

The museum is split between two buildings, one of which is the beautiful historic mansion that was once home to the prominent Stathatos family and is now used to display temporary exhibits of contemporary art.

Cycladic art on display in museum cases

The main building houses the well-curated and amazingly preserved Cycladic art collection of shipping magnates Dolly and Nikolaos Goulandris – one of the most complete collections of its kind anywhere.

Early Cycladic figure of a human

Early Cycladic art pieces in museum cases

Early clay figures of cattle and humans in a glass display

Terra cotta vessels in a museum display

Touch-screen monitors on a museum wall

Early Greek vessel with a sign explaining its importance

Early clay vessels in a museum display case

Black and red decorated pottery in a museum display case

White statue of a young girl on display in a museum

Museum room filled with display cases and colorful signage

Clay vessels in a museum display case

Corner of a museum with display cases filled with early terra cotta vessels

Line of museum display shelves

Museum gallery with Cycladic art on display

Shelves upon shelves of early Cycladic art pieces

Three decorated terra cotta vessels with animal figures

Room of display cases filled with terra cotta vessels

Museum display of Cycladic art

Items on display in a museum case, alongside a mural of ancient Greek life

Museum gallery with large murals of daily life in ancient Greece

Room with large red murals and a display screen showing scenes from Greek life

Shelves with books and jewelry displayed for sale

Gift shop at the Cycladic Art Museum.

Tables lined with reproduction art pieces for sale

The shop leads to the museum café.

People sit and eat a cafe tables in a large, well-lit atrium

The Cycladic Art Museum’s atrium restaurant/café.

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About Santorini Dave

Santorini Dave Author Bio. Santorini Dave was started in 2011 by a guy who loved Greece, travel, and great hotels. We're now a small team of writers and researchers on a mission to deliver the most helpful travel content on the internet. We specialize in Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, and Greece and recommend the best hotels, best neighborhoods, and best family hotels in top destinations around the world. We also make hotel maps and travel videos. I can be contacted at dave@santorinidave.com.