Saturday, November 9, 2024 Building on the success of four previous exhibitions, the Museum of Cycladic Art is once again partnering with Athens International Airport to present the exhibition “Women of the Cyclades Through Time.” This exhibition, hosted in the “Art & Culture” section on the Arrivals level of Athens International Airport, opened on October 7, 2024, and will be available to visitors until May 31, 2025. The exhibit delves into the history of the Cyclades, showcasing marble figurines created by local artisans during the 3rd millennium BC.
These Cycladic figurines, part of the Museum of Cycladic Art’s esteemed collection in Athens, reflect a society that honored the role of women. The collection includes various sizes of antiquities, each depicting the female form as mother, goddess, offering, or ritual object with an enigmatic purpose. The Early Cycladic period’s (3200–2000 BC) white marble sculptures bring these figures to life, portraying women with distinct characteristics, such as slightly rounded bellies or incised lines suggesting pregnancy or postpartum.
Since the early 20th century, artists have drawn inspiration from the art of the prehistoric Cyclades. Renowned figures like Constantin Brancusi, Amedeo Modigliani, Alexander Archipenko, Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti, and Barbara Hepworth found a profound influence in the raw expressiveness of these ancient forms. They were captivated by the simplicity of the Cycladic figurines, integratin.