Studio of eminent modernist ceramist to be listed for protection

The studio where one of Greece’s pre-eminent modernist ceramists found inspiration for nearly 50 years thanks to the pioneering design of one of the country’s great architects, will be listed as a historical monument, the Culture Ministry said on Thursday.

The studio of Eleni Vernadaki in the east Attica suburb of Kantza was designed especially for the artist by Takis Zenetos, architect of the Athens Conservatory among other iconic structures that have come to define modernism in Greece.

“As a piece of architecture, the studio had a direct influence on Eleni Vernadakis’ art. She created innovative forms that forged new paths in ceramic sculpture,” Culture Minister Mendoni said in a letter ordering its listing.

“The encounter between these two artists had a defining impact on Vernadaki’s expression and work,” she added in her letter to General Secretary for Culture Giorgos Didaskalou.

Vernadaki, who was born in Crete in 1933 and studied ceramics at Hammersmith College of Art and Building in London, worked in this studio from 1974 and up until last year. She is credited with the modern revival of the art form in Greece and for pioneering contemporary trends.