ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS MUSEUM

2018 – under construction

ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS MUSEUM

VAS. SOFIAS, ELEFTHERIAS PARK, ATHENS

Organised by the Municipality of Athens & OPANDA
Architectural Design: architectones02
Exhibition Design: architectones02
Academic Advisor: Evanthis Hatzivasiliou
Museological Planning: Argiro Batsi
Exhibition Advisor: Maria Florou
Archive Research: Maria Manta
Graphic Design: Christophoros Brellis
Coordination: Elena Chronopoulou

The Eleftherios Venizelos Museum is housed in a historic two-storey neoclassical building located in Eleftherias Park in the center of Athens. The old building, as well as the permanent exhibition, had to be reformed in order to become a contemporary museum that highlights the importance of Eleftherios Venizelos’ life and work throughout the Greek history. Taking into account the available space and its characteristics such as relatively high floor height, large windows, and symmetrical plans we design a contemporary, clean and bright exhibition space. The new permanent exhibition design is inspired by the movement of de Stijl (1917-1931) and Piet Mondrian, which is relevant to the time Eleftherios Venizelos lived.
The walls of the exhibition spaces are transformed into abstract and simple geometric composition. Thin, black coated steel, horizontal and vertical lines form a grid that is interrupted by the presence of colored geometric volumes (showcases, objects, screens) and rectangular surfaces (photos, texts, prints). Venizelos’ documents: ink, paper and the black and white photographs of the time are a source of inspiration too. This is why black and white color dominates the installations, as well as the reception and event space. The bicolor of the space and of the structures give a timeless feeling to the exhibition but also highlight the charm of the past. Maps, objects and some graphic tricks add color to the exhibition.