Nikos Alexiou: The Collection

In 2010, shortly before his death, Nikos Alexiou bequeathed his remarkable collection of contemporary art to the Benaki Museum, leaving behind a lasting legacy. Now on display, this collection pays tribute not only to Alexiou's own creative brilliance, but also to his role as an artist/collector who reshaped Greece's creative landscape in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. 

The exhibition is a vibrant, ever-evolving entity that embodies Alexiou's spirit. It comprises 236 works by 84 artists, including Danae Stratou, Dimitris Papaioannou, George Lappas, Polydoros Karyofyllis (Poka-Yio), Pavlos (Dionyssopoulos), Yannoulis Chalepas, Panos Charalambous, Werner Moser Dorfmann, Jimmie Durham, Jack Early, Amy O'Neill and Mary Redmond, to name but a few. Each piece in the collection has its own story to tell and showcases Alexiou's talent for recognising the subtle, the intricate and the complex.

From delicate strokes and intricate patterns to fascinating shadow games and geometric trickery, there's so much to take in. Perhaps the most interesting part of the exhibition is how all these works of art, created by so many different artists, each with their own distinctive voice, come together to form something greater than the sum of its parts. This is made all the more compelling thanks to a special in-situ installation created in collaboration with architecture firm AREA.