The financial toll of covid-19 has forced the Benaki Museum to organise an artwork auction.
The works of art have been donated by artists who have previously exhibited their work at the museum or have collaborated with the Benaki Shop, as well as by the museum's friends and supporters.
The online benefit auction which includes over 240 works of art by 138 artists, will take place between November 30-December 14. Prices will start at 50 euros.
The Benaki Museum says it has remained committed to its cultural role despite repeated closures of museums and cultural institutions across the country.
This online auction brings together - albeit digitally - its friends and supporters to help sustain its mission and its programs, "in the same way it has so far remained accessible online for the public, and in the same spirit by which its employees have continued their scientific and educational work."
Benaki Museum
The Benaki Museum established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, is housed in the Benakis family mansion in downtown Athens, Greece.
The museum houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern times, an extensive collection of Asian art, hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop.
Although the museum initially housed a collection that included Islamic art, Chinese porcelain and exhibits on toys, its 2000 re-opening led to the creation of satellite museums that focused on specific collections, allowing the main museum to focus on Greek culture over the span of the country’s history.
