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Curators | Iwona Blazwick, OBE, Director, Whitechapel Gallery & Elina Kountouri, Director, NEON
In 1899, construction began on the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos. It was completed in 1902, making it the State Archaeological Service’s oldest museum building in the Cyclades and one of the oldest museums nationwide. With modifications and additions over time, the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos continues to fascinate with the stories of the necropolis of Delos and it is the only museum whose collection is mainly devoted not to exhibits from its archaeologically rich home of Mykonos, but to artefacts from what is today the uninhabited neighbouring island of Rheneia.
The most well-known vase in the collection of the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos is a pithos (storage vessel) from the early 7th century BC, attributed to the relief pottery workshops of the island of Tenos. The 1.35-metre-tall pithos was found in the town of Mykonos and had been used for the pot burial of adults. The theme of its impressive decoration, in the form of metopes on the neck and body of the vase, is the Fall of Troy and is inspired by the epic poetry of that period.
The overall composition of the representation, the first “Guernica” of history as it has aptly been described, sends a powerful and enduring anti-war message, which is as topical today as ever.
Αrchaeologist
Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades
More information about the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos here.
Inspired by the collection of the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos, this exhibition takes its title from an iconic work by Alberto Giacometti. A small wooden sculpture created in 1932, The Palace at 4 a.m. features a dramatic encounter between a woman, a bird and a spinal column. Presiding over these theatrical protagonists is a totemic entity. The scene depicts a palace before sunrise, a time of dreams, ghosts and secret assignations.
Presented by NEON in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades, this exhibition drew on the strange drama of Giacometti’s masterpiece to evoke the spirits, rituals and myths that haunt ancient archaeological sites such as Delos. Its statues, architectural fragments, vessels and tombstones have been collected in the museum, attributes of a cosmopolitan citizenry that disappeared two millennia ago.
Just as Delos once brought together people from across the ancient world, The Palace at 4 a.m. featured a global roster of thirteen contemporary artists. Their work was juxtaposed with the museum’s collection and additional treasures selected by the archaeologists of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades. Giving contemporary form to ancient materials and symbols, the artists revealed commonalities that span millennia, cultures and continents.
Participating artists:
Lynda Benglis
Haris Epaminonda
Simone Fattal
Petrit Halilaj
Ian Law
Maria Loizidou
Daria Martin
Duro Olowu
Zohra Opoku
Rena Papaspyrou
Stefania Strouza
Barthélémy Toguo
Paloma Varga Weisz
More information about the exhibition The Palace at 4 a.m. here.
Installation Views | Photographs © Panos Kokkinias, Oak Taylor Smith, Natalia Tsoukala | Courtesy NEON
