Cycladic Art Museum capturing its collections and mission on disk
In the past few years, a growing number of museums both in Greece and abroad have been turning to new technologies as a way of effectively presenting their prize exhibits and their mission in general. In Greece, the Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek Art, which celebrates 20 years of operation in 2006, has embarked on the production of a 45-minute CD-ROM that encompasses its raison d’etre. The project aims at presenting the museum in a vibrant, easy-to-grasp and appealing manner, by showing, on the one hand, a tour of the museum’s halls and exhibits and on the other, through a succinct narrative of the exhibits’ significance. The CD-ROM has been directed by Dimitris Anagnostopoulos and the narrative is by Katerina Didaskalou, while the project is being funded by the Alexandros Onassis Foundation. The CD-ROM will cover every section of the museum: the Cycladic art collection, which covers the period 5000 BC to 2000 BC; the Ancient Greek art collection of monumental works and small items spanning the period from 2000 BC to 4 AD; the Thanos Zintillis Collection of Cypriot antiquities; and the Karolos Politis Collection of ancient Greek art. The CD also includes ample information on the history of the two Kolonaki buildings that house the museum. The Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek Art was founded in 1986 in order to house the collection of Nicholas and Ekaterini Goulandris. The main building, at 4 Neofytou Douka Street, was built for that purpose, while in 1991, with the expansion of the collection, the museum acquired a new wing, the magnificent neo-classical Stathatos Mansion on the corner of Vassilissis Sofias and Irodotou streets. In further celebration of the museum’s 20th birthday, organizers are putting together an extensive exhibition where ancient Greek sculptures will be displayed beside the work of modern masters such as Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti and other great 20th century artists.
