Advertisment

The Onassis Foundation Opens New Open-Air Arts Space In Athens

The Onassis Foundation unveils Onassis Mandra, a restored Belle Époque theatre in Athens, with Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s immersive sound installation

The Art Journal13 October, 2026
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, clinamen at Onassis Mandra Photo: Giagkos Papadopoulos for Onassis Stegi

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, clinamen at Onassis Mandra Photo: Giagkos Papadopoulos for Onassis Stegi

The Onassis Foundation has inaugurated its 2026/2027 season with the opening of a new space in the Greek capital. Located in Athens’ Plaka district, Onassis Mandra is an open-air theatre first built in 1909, in the typical Belle Époque style of the time. Recently restored, it is set to host a programme of performances and cultural events, bringing new life to a historic corner of the city.

The venue’s opening is marked by clinamen, an installation by French artist and composer Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. Hundreds of white porcelain bowls float across three pools at the entrance of the theatre, gently colliding to produce delicate, unpredictable chimes. The work blends Athens’ natural elements and urban sounds, creating an immersive encounter between art, architecture and the surrounding nature. This is the first iteration of clinamen being shown outside after traveling at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection in Paris and New York’s Park Avenue Armory.



Share:
FacebookTwitter

News

Advertisment
King's Library Tower at the British Library by Sam Walton

British Library Announces New CEO

The recently departed head of the UK Space Agency has been announced as the British Library’s new chief executive, as the institution emerges from a turbulent period and announces a new partnership with Netflix

The Art Journal
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Photo: Iwan Baan, courtesy of the Lucas Museum

A New Hope for George Lucas’s $1 Billion Museum

 Far more than a home for Star Wars, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s new Los Angeles museum brings fine art, comics, illustration, photography and cinema together under the banner of ‘narrative art’

The Art Journal
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, courtesy of the Library of Congress

Washington DC’s Kennedy Center Risks Fiscal Collapse

Internal documents obtained by The Washington Post warn that the Kennedy Center faces “fiscal collapse” within weeks, after ticket sales and fundraising plunged amid upheaval following Donald Trump’s takeover

The Art Journal