Athens Art Scene in Bloom: Exhibitions to Catch This May

May has arrived, bringing with it the full bloom of spring—longer, sunnier days, nature at its peak, and the much-anticipated return of open-air cinemas. But beyond the seasonal charm, May stands out as one of Athens’s most vibrant and artistic months.

With the City of Athens’s month-long cultural festival in full swing, the Piano Days festival underway, and celebrations like Mother’s Day and International Museum Day just around the corner, the city is alive with creative energy. Here’s a curated look at some of the standout exhibitions taking place across Athens’s galleries and at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMΣT) this month.

Why Look at Animals? A Case for the Rights of Non-Human Lives

EMΣT | 16 May 2025 — 15 February 2026

Tiziana Pers, “Saut dans le vide”, 2016 (video still). Courtesy of the artist.

EMΣT (National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens) presents its largest-ever exhibition, Why Look at Animals? a powerful exploration of animal rights and the status of non-human life in today’s anthropocentric world. Inspired by John Berger’s seminal 1980 essay, the show brings together over 60 artists from four continents and more than 200 works. From industrial farming to urban wildlife, the exhibition confronts how animals are perceived, treated, and marginalized—while calling for ecological justice and the recognition of animals as sentient beings.
Don’t miss Sonic Space, a special sound art project curated by Joanna Zielińska, featuring works in zoomusicology and eco-acoustics.

Find more info on the exhibition on the museum’s official site.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: “Untitled”

The Intermission, Piraeus | May 22 – August 2

“Baby Boom” by Jean-Michel Basquiat is displayed during a media preview for Christie’s upcoming “21st Century Evening Sale” in New York City, U.S., May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

The Intermission partners with the Parisian Enrico Navarra Gallery to present Jean-Michel Basquiat: Untitled, a rare showcase of 20 works on paper created between 1979 and 1987. The exhibition offers a glimpse into the formative years of the legendary neo-expressionist, featuring early drawings that highlight Basquiat’s raw visual language and self-taught style. Enrico Navarra—collector, publisher, and one of Basquiat’s early champions—played a pivotal role in bringing the artist’s work to international attention.

An undated handout picture provided by the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France, on 14 October 2010, of a photograph of American artist Andy Warhol (1927-1987), American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) and Italian painter Francesco Clemente. It is part of an exhibition entitled ‘Basquiat’ that opens to the public at the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris on 15 October 2010 and runs until 30 January 2011. EPA/MUSEE D’ART MODERNE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS/HO HANDOUT.

Find more info on the exhibition on the gallery’s official site.

Marlene Dumas: Cycladic Blues

Museum of Cycladic Art | June 5- November 2, 2025
Marlene Dumas presents her first solo museum exhibition in Greece with Cycladic Blues at the Museum of Cycladic Art. Featuring over thirty works—paintings and works on paper—displayed in dialogue with selected antiquities, the show explores the human figure through Dumas’s emotionally charged lens. Curated by Douglas Fogle in close collaboration with the artist, the exhibition includes both recent and newly created pieces inspired by the museum’s archaeological collection, alongside ancient artifacts handpicked by Dumas herself.

Find more info on the exhibition on the museum’s official site.

Peter Reginato: CHROMA

Sianti Gallery | Opening May 9, 7:00 PM

Artwork by Peter Reginato, “Helena,” enamel on canvas,
203 x 157 cm

Sianti Gallery presents CHROMA, the first solo painting exhibition in Athens by renowned American artist Peter Reginato. Known internationally for his abstract sculptures, Reginato now turns the spotlight on his vibrant, polychromatic paintings created over the past eight years. Playful, spontaneous, and deeply personal, these works—many shown for the first time—invite viewers into a joyful world of color and form, reflecting the artist’s ever-evolving journey through abstraction.

Ximena Maldonado Sánchez: cardón, carmín y ola

Bernier/Eliades Gallery | May 8 – July 10, 2025

In her second solo show in Athens, Mexican artist Ximena Maldonado Sánchez presents cardón, carmín y ola—a poetic exploration of nature’s textures, rhythms, and forms. Drawing from immersive encounters with landscapes, her paintings merge figuration and abstraction to evoke unfamiliar ecosystems and the subtle interplay between land and sea. The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on ecological interconnection and the sensory experience of place.

Find more info on the exhibition on the gallery’s official site.

Imagine a Bird

Museum of Folk Art and Tradition Angeliki Hatzimichali | May 10 – June 29, 2025

This group exhibition features around 200 textile works by quilting artists from across Europe, including Greece, in celebration of the European Quilting Association’s 35th anniversary. Under the shared theme Imagine a Bird, artists from nine countries explore real and imagined birds through patchwork, with emerald green as a unifying color. The result is a rich tapestry of traditions, techniques, and cultural expressions, reflecting both local craftsmanship and European unity.