A groundbreaking exhibition dedicated to renowned Greek architect Dimitris Pikionis is making its way from Madrid to Athens, offering audiences a comprehensive look at one of Greece's most influential architectural minds. The exhibition, titled "Dimitris Pikionis: An Aesthetic Topography," was originally presented at the Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid from February 14 to April 27, 2025, and will open at the Benaki Museum in Athens on October 22.
The exhibition was jointly organized by the Benaki Museum, the Cervantes Institute of Athens, the Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, and the Greek Embassy in Spain. Spanish curators Dr. Covadonga Blasco and Juan Miguel Hernández León led the curatorial effort, conducting thorough research to demonstrate Pikionis's creative process through six of his most significant architectural works.
"Above all, Dimitris Pikionis was a painter and a calm man. For him, art was the path to nature," Dr. Blasco explained to Kathimerini. "His exhibition, presented in the 21st century, may help us recover the slow passage of time and remind us that architecture can be an act of reflection, culture and deep connection with the world."
Pikionis was born in 1887 in Piraeus and became the first student of painter Konstantinos Parthenis, who was then a professor at the National Technical University of Athens, in 1906. After receiving his civil engineering diploma in 1908, he traveled to Munich and later Paris to study painting, where he encountered modern artistic movements. During his time in Paris, he was particularly influenced by the works of Paul Cézanne and Paul Klee, as well as Auguste Rodin's sculptures, while simultaneously attending courses on architectural composition and working in architectural offices.
According to Blasco, while Pikionis's work is known among specialists, it remains largely unknown to the general Spanish public and is usually mentioned only in relation to his landscaping work for the access routes to the Acropolis Hill. "However, in a time of crisis of European foundations, we wanted to highlight the complexity of his personality, how he sought to reconcile Greek identity with artistic modernity," she noted.
Returning to Greece, Pikionis continued his dual career in architecture and painting, becoming a member of a select group that introduced the European avant-garde to Greece. Although he was a contemporary of renowned architects such as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, his architectural approach sought to integrate traditional Greek elements with modern abstraction. At the beginning of the 20th century, Pikionis faced the pressure for residential development in his country, viewing reconstruction not only as a natural necessity but also as a moral mission.
"In all his construction and renovation plans, we see that his architecture is placed at the service of Greek culture, with examples such as the Pefkakia primary school on Lycabettus Hill and the Xenia Hotel," Blasco explained. "Pikionis wanted to contribute to the reconstruction of his homeland, but not in a superficial, profitable way. He wanted to do so from his position as a Greek citizen."
The exhibition draws interesting parallels between Greece and Spain, noting that in 1950s Spain, a similar concern arose to achieve the recovery of a modernity based on Mediterranean tradition that represented authentic Spanish identity. The Alhambra Manifesto and the work of architects such as Fernando García Mercadal and José Luis Sert demonstrate this common cultural quest.
The centerpiece of the exhibition focuses on Pikionis's topographical work on the entrance routes to the Acropolis Hill, which was completed in 1958 after a long and complex construction process. The display features the architect's images and drawings interspersed with his handwritten notes, thoughts, and vision, filled with visual references to his distinctive pavements. As co-curator Hernández León noted, Pikionis sought to raise questions of identity in art by combining Hellenism with modernism.
The exhibition is structured around three main themes: painting and thought, architecture and model, moving from the personal elements in the first section to the architectural achievements in the second. Visitors conclude their journey in the third section, which features a dominant three-dimensional model of the Acropolis and Philopappou Hill area, showcasing Pikionis's morphological intervention in its entirety. "Most visitors were impressed by the model constructed to show Pikionis's intervention on the Acropolis, around which the entire exhibition discourse revolves," Blasco observed.
According to the Círculo de Bellas Artes, "Aesthetic Topography" was warmly received in Madrid, attracting more than 5,000 visitors and generating international interest. Many Greeks passing through the city were pleasantly surprised to discover an exhibition dedicated to their celebrated architect.
When asked about which aspects of Pikionis's approach to mixing tradition and modernism are most relevant to contemporary architectural practice, Blasco emphasized the importance of site and landscape relationships. "The best contemporary architecture takes into account its relationship to site and landscape. In fact, the recent concept of urban landscape heritage responds to the understanding that architecture and building have a duty to engage in a dialogue with what already exists on site," she explained.
Blasco noted that in his writings, Pikionis referred to the fundamental relationship between individual elements and the whole as universal harmony, arguing that this relationship exists in all quality architecture, whether modern or classical. "Our goal with this exhibition was not only to highlight the magnificent legacy of Dimitris Pikionis in the 21st century, but also to recover a sensitive gaze that leads us to understand him better today than in the past," she concluded.
