Ioannis Despotopoulos | Athens | Year-Round

The Goethe Institute of Athens, in cooperation with the Benaki Museum’s Modern Greek Architectural Archives, presents “From Building to Community: Ioannis Despotopoulos and the Bauhaus,” a permanent exhibition at the Athens Conservatory, one of the finest examples of the great Greek architect’s work. Despotopoulos (1903-92) is the only Greek architect to have lived in Weimar in the Bauhaus era and come into direct contact with the principles, teaching and staff and students of the famous art school. According to the organizers, rather than viewing the Bauhaus as a “style,” he thought of it as a broader way of looking at things and saw architecture as a means of benefiting society. The exhibition, curated by Athens-born, Berlin-based architect Loukas Bartatilas, focuses on the history of the conservatory and serves as an invitation to visitors to realize Despotopoulos’ aspiration that the building should also function as the means for creating a community of people sharing their interest in music and art. Opening hours are Mondays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Athens Conservatory, Vassileos Constantinou & Rigilis