Contemporary art has its own island
About the Greek island of Hydra, which a billionaire collector has turned into a haven for artists, art galleries and art events.
Now there's a good idea for prolonging the summer! Take a stroll around an island, less than two hours by boat from Athens, and buy works of contemporary art... Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? But this jewel of the Saronic Islands, a Greek archipelago in the Aegean Sea, is not only home to one of the most beautiful harbours in the Mediterranean, as well as an amphitheatre-shaped village and splendid 18th-century shipowners' residences. Between the secret coves and turquoise sea, the monastery-capped mountains and the car-free footpaths... Museums and exhibitions are like fish in water! This island, which is very peaceful in winter, becomes a haven for artists, gallery owners and collectors in fine weather. An excellent way to discover works of art for sale in this Mecca of contemporary art, while extending your stay in the Greek capital or a trip to the neighbouring Peloponnese. Here, journalist Céline Lefranc and photographer Manolo Mylonos present a selection of not-to-be-missed events in paradise.
A good place to start is the 'Dream Machines' exhibition, on view until 30 October at the Deste Foundation Project Space, Slaughterhouse. It is largely thanks to the events organised in these former goat slaughterhouses by the Deste Foundation, set up in 1983 by billionaire businessman and major collector Dakis Joannou, that the island of Hydra, first 'launched' in the 1960s by stars such as Sophia Loren and Leonard Cohen, has been attracting the crème de la crème of the contemporary art world for the last ten years. A quarter of an hour's walk from the port, this graceless building with its leprous walls is a favourite with the gotha of the contemporary art market, and is now topped by a monumental sun by Jeff Koons, who occupied the premises last year. He is the rich collector's favourite artist. This year, the exhibition focuses on the impact of technology on artistic creation, with works by Marcel Duchamp, Fischli & Weiss and Philippe Parreno, to name but a few.
Then there's the Guilty Yacht. Here, of course, we find the inescapable Dakis Joannou at the helm. His thirty-five metre yacht is sure not to go unnoticed every summer in the port of Hydra, such is its vibrant colour scheme! A true floating work of art, this vessel was born around ten years ago from the collaboration between architect and specialist designer Ivana Porfiri and... guess who? Jeff Koons, of course! The former designed the interior like a New York loft, while the latter clad the exterior in motifs inspired by razzle dazzle, the camouflage used on Royal Navy ships during the First World War. Except he's boosted them so much with bright colours that the Guilty is anything but camouflaged! Some of the screened patterns are reminiscent of the works of art of Roy Lichtenstein, one of the great figures of Pop Art. And as the interior of the giant work of art is large enough to display other works of art, visible only to the happy few, Dakis Joannou is free to display pieces from his collection signed by Urs Fischer... or ? Yes, yes, Jeff Koons.
The Historical Archives Museum is hosting the sixth edition of the HYam: Hydra for Artists of the Mediterranean project, founded in 2014 by Pauline Simons. The French journalist has recently refocused her work on women artists, "who are still under-represented in the contemporary art market", explains Céline Lefranc. "This year, it's Eva Medin and Stefania Strouza's turn to be in the spotlight, on the theme of mutations. The former in a video, Après la pluie, featuring a hybrid creature, the latter in sculptures evoking planetary metamorphoses, such as Her Turbulence. A 2 x 2 metre sheet of aluminium, a work of art for sale by the art gallery A. Antonopoulou Art. But don't let the exhibition entitled "Far on Earth" overshadow a visit to the museum's permanent collections, where among the antique costumes and replica ships you'll find... the embalmed heart of Admiral Miaoulis, hero of the War of Independence in the 1820s!
Naturally, a number of leading figures from the art world could not resist the temptation to set up home in Hydra. The Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, for example, occupies a large, light-filled house with an uninterrupted view over the port. The artist, known for his amusing and absurd installations, such as his cars and swollen houses, has installed some of his own works here. Recent abstract paintings in the blue of the sky in the living room, a sculpture of a man cut in half by the pool... But again, don't expect to enter unless you're invited: it's private property, just like the house of American painter Brice Marden or that of Austrian gallery owner Thaddaeus Ropac. Phew: "On the other hand, you can visit the house-studio of a famous twentieth-century Greek artist, the landscape painter Panagiotis Tetsis (1925-2016)," consoles the Connaissance des arts journalist.
You can also visit the studio of Yannis Kottis, by appointment. Born in Corinth, Yannis Kottis divides his time between Paris and Hydra. He trained at the Beaux-Arts in Athens and in Paris, studying with Jacques Lagrange, Jacques Tati's film decorator. Céline Lefranc met him. "He works alone every day on paintings that recall his family history. His matierist technique, which requires a long preparation of paper reliefs soaked in plaster? No doubt linked to his father's profession as a plasterer. His subjects, trees and animals? What he saw around him in the Greece of his childhood. Yannis Kottis is fortunate to have a good network of art dealers and collectors who commission his work, but this never prevents him from working on a more personal style.
And in the lower town, the Vieux Marché will be hosting a contemporary art exhibition, "Lesson learned", organised by Hydra School Projects, from 17 July.
Visual: DESTE Foundation Project Space, Slaughterhouse, Hydra
Photo® Hugo Glendinning