Art-Athina was launched in 1993 by the Hellenic Art Galleries Association with a view to showcase selected Greek and international galleries as well as organising important parallel art events and offer further value to the fair. Art-Athina 2013 was held with great success last May, sending out a message of optimism, despite a difficult economic climate. The country’s most important annual event in visual art was enthusiastically received by some 30,000 visitors. Art-Athina 2013 was a comprehensive show in terms of both structure and content. The valuable art galleries from Greece and abroad were joined in harmony by cultural institutions, art publishers and media to present a full picture of the contemporary art scene. A number of noteworthy parallel activities reinforced the international character of the event with the participation of a large number of artists (more than 800), with a marked predominance of the younger generation and VIP collectors from Greece and abroad. Finally, educational activities and historical retrospectives underlined the social role of Art-Athina.

The Hellenic Art Galleries Association, in collaboration with the EuroMare, which is in charge of the organisation of the 19th event, have scheduled a parallel programme shedding light on the contemporary art scene and with a view to strengthening partnerships and collaborations in the visual arts in the greater Easter European and Mediterranean area.

In light of the Greek Presidency of the European Union, the main programme of Art-Athina 2014 will focus on the key geographical position of Greece, located at the crossroads of Europe, the Balkans, the Black Sea and the Middle East. Greek and international curators will present parallel exhibitions in which artists and art collectors are going to talk highlighting the long-term cultural and political interactions between these countries. The 19th edition will come with a carefully designed VIP programme and attractive parallel events such as round-table discussions, presentations and exhibitions by both young and established artists. You will soon get updated with further information on the parallel programme.

Art-Athina, being the most prominent annual artistic event in Greece has, since its inception, the moral and material support from the Ministry of Culture, and is co-funded by the NSRF (National Strategic Reference Framework- ESPA) for the years 2013-2014. The above makes Art-Athina a very affordable fair but also a very accessible regional event with easy logistics and custom procedures, in particular from Europe, with a common European financial and legal framework helping exhibitors to do business with local and international collectors.