We got a good injection of artistic inspiration at the Benaki Museum’s Pireos Street Annexe in Athens (Pireos Street 138 at Andronikou Street, tel: +30-210-345-3111). There, one of the current exhibitions is a collection of selected sculptures and paintings by contemporary Greek artist Kostas Paniaras. The exhibition spans Paniaras’s first 50 years of art work. It’s a “non-retrospective” review, with current work and past work juxtaposed side-by-side. This organization jumbles the traditional narrative of an artist’s progression, and makes Paniaras’s work feel truly alive across the decades of his work.

While you can pay €8 for admittance to all of the museum’s fabulous exhibits, you can opt to experience the Paniaras exhibition for only €3. If you have a child under 18 with you, the child attends free and you are admitted for €1.50.

This exhibit only runs through March 18, so hurry! (The museum is open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and closed Monday and Tuesday.)

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photograph courtesy of Kaymaria Daskarolis

The extensive collections of the Benaki Museum (on the corner of Vassilissis Sofias Avenue and Koumbari Street in the Kolonaki neighborhood of Athens) cover a variety of subjects—from ancient pottery and regional dress to elaborate icons and the actual constitution of the modern Greek state.

Every Thursday, from 9 a.m. to midnight, visitors can explore the Benaki Museum for free. On the other six days of the week, admission is €6 per person—still quite a bargain. The Benaki Museum also offers several discounts on admission. Check the museum’s site for details.

The Benaki Museum is also a wonderful place to take kids, especially if you buy them Eleni Geroulanou’s book, “The Alphabet Book of the Benaki Museum” which is sold for €15 in the museum store. Written in Greek, it highlights objects on display in the Benaki Museum beginning with each letter of the Greek alphabet. The fun part is exploring the museum in search of each item—a brilliant and exciting treasure hunt for all ages!

The current temporary exhibit, (English title: “The Journey: The Greek American Dream“) runs through Sunday, February 25, 2007.

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