TAR MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

So famous that it has an acronym! Like many, call it "MOCA"... in all simplicity. This museum has nothing to envy its Athenian cousins. Created in 1979 by the Goulandris Foundation - also the originator of the Museum of Cycladic Arts in the capital - it attracts every year, in addition to tourists passing through Andros, regulars who don't miss any of its prestigious exhibitions. Smaller in size, it immediately surprises with its elegance and the splendour of its collections. Add to this the inevitably limited number of visitors due to its insular location in a city that is still little frequented by mass tourism, and you get an elegant and unforgettable address that people like to whisper to each other.
If the Goulandris chose Andros for this museum, it is simply because it is the birth island of Vassilis Goulandris, the heir of a long line of Greek shipowners. The family, who are passionate about art, have collected sumptuous works of art in Athens as well as on their island of origin. The initial construction is signed by the Greek architect Stamos Papadakis and covers 200 ^m2 on the ground. In Andros alone, the museum exhibits a permanent collection of 300 works by Greek artists: a large part of the works by the Andriot sculptor Michalis Tompros (1889-1974) is the jewel in the crown. Other great names such as Tsachouris, Gounaropoulos, Bouzianis or Galanis can also be seen.
But - and this is its strength - the museum looks beyond the national horizon: the permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Braque, Matisse and Miró, all world-famous. And that's not all: a new wing of the museum, designed by the architect Christos Kontovounisios, has been hosting temporary exhibitions of the greatest contemporary artists of international renown every summer since 1986. Every summer, a major exhibition is held with lectures and a beautiful catalogue.

Finally, if the museum offers an unforgettable experience, it is also thanks to the beauty of its setting. The elegant white marble building in the Chora has found a prime location on the hillside, along a maze of stairs that fall down into the sea. In the courtyard, a wonderful garden houses a delightful café. Nothing is left to chance: even the garden designs by Miranda Spiliotopoulou-Vazaka have won international horticultural awards. Moreover, you won't leave without a coffee in her tree-lined courtyard.