Opening of the Gaïtis – Simossi Museum in Ios

September 14 th , 2024, Ios, Cyclades

The Board of Directors of the Gaïtis – Simossi Museum, the Municipality of Ios and Loretta Gaiti organize the official opening of the Museum Yannis Gaïtis – Gabriella Simossi in Ios, which will take place on Saturday, September 14 th , 2024, at 19:00.

The Museum will be inaugurated by H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, in the presence of the Minister of Culture of Greece, Mrs. Lina Mendoni.

Prior to the opening ceremony, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary ofthe painters birth, the conference “Yannis Gaitis – Pluralism and Polyergy” will take place, with the support of the J. F. CostopoulosFoundation, and with the participation of Syrago Tsiaras – Director of the National Gallery-Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Denys Zacharopoulos – Art Historian and Critic, Dimitris Alithinos – Painter, Yannis Bolis – Art Historian,and Designer/Manufacturer Gavrilos Michalis.

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The Gaitis Simossi Museum, dedicated to the oeuvres of the painter Yannis Gaitis and the sculptress Gabriella Simossi, is the result of the efforts of the artists’ daughter, Loretta Gaitis, to create a museum that will house the works of her parents. With funding from Ios Municipality through the Development Program SAE 367 and reflecting everyone’s love for the island, the museum dominates the island landscape in a prominent position above Chora and near Odysseas Elytis theatre. Featuring rare architectural elements, the building complex was designed by architect Jacques Charrat and architect-museologist Loretta Gaitis, who also undertook the museological study.

Background of the Museum Creation

The Gaïtis – Simossi Museum was established through the collaboration of the Municipality of Ios with Mayor Gikas Gikas – and Loretta Gaïtis, the sole heir of Yannis Gaïtis and Gabriella Simossi.

After years of collective efforts, the building complex of the Museum was completed in 2009, under the mayoralty of Georgios Poussaios. The project was designed and constructed by the Technical Service of the Municipality of Ios, with funding from the Operational Programme “CULTURE”.

Additional maintenance works were recently (2022-2023) completed by the Municipality of Ios with funding from the Special Purpose Development Programme of the South Aegean. The building complex housing the Museum is owned by the Municipality of Ios, which has granted it for use to the Museum Company. The artworks of the permanent collection are a long-term concession of Loretta Gaïtis.

The Museum operates in the form of a Non-Profit Civil Society, which was founded in 2017 and is funded for its operating costs by the Municipality of Ios.

Vision

With the primary objective of establishing and operating a permanent museum dedicated to the exhibition of the diverse artistic works of Yannis Gaïtis and Gabriella Simossi, the Gaïtis – Simossi Museum is committed to promoting and showcasing their contributions both nationally and internationally. Additionally, the Museum aims to function as a contemporary, sustainable institution, reflecting the evolving role of museums. It seeks to engage with the community through a variety of activities, including temporary exhibitions, cultural events, and educational programs.

The Building and the Collection

The Gaïtis – Simossi Museum is housed in a 1,600 square meter building, meticulously designed by architects Loretta Gaïtis and Jacques Charrat. This space was purposefully crafted to accommodate the Museum’s permanent collection, as well as to host concurrent temporary exhibitions and various cultural events.

Perched atop a hill, the building offers a sweeping panoramic view of Chora, the port of Ios, and the surrounding islands of Sikinos, Paros, and Naxos, set against the boundless blue expanse of the Aegean Sea. The exhibition spaces are articulated along either side of an open-air “road” that stretches from the natural axis of this magnificent view and appears as a natural extension of the narrow roads that lead to the Museum, which originate from the island’s port and traverse through Chora.

A series of oversized heads of “anthropakia” (little humans) mark the entrance to the “road” and invite the visitor to the Museum.

The permanent collection is housed into two main buildings. Τo the left stands the two-storey “Gaïtis Building”. The ground floor features the Museum’s reception area. The collection is organised chronologically, with earlier works of the painter displayed on the lower level and later pieces, including paintings, installations, and constructions centered around the renowned “anthropakia,” showcased on the upper level.

The architectural design of the Gaïtis Building itself reflects these “anthropakia,” with the curvature of the roof inspired by their hats and the entrance door designed to resemble a head viewed from the front.

Upon exiting the Gaïtis wing, visitors are greeted by an elevated courtyard featuring an olive tree, which leads to the “Simossi Building.” Embracing Simossi’s preference for white, the building is adorned with white sculptures, whitewashed walls, and white marble running across the flooring and the pedestals. The exhibit includes twelve monumental white resin sculptures displayed on pedestals, along with earlier plaster sculptures and collages.

In addition to the permanent collection, the Museum complex features a temporary exhibition hall, as well as separate buildings for the café and administrative functions. At the end of the Museum’s internal “road , a small semi-circular theater provides visitors with a tranquil

With the primary objective of establishing and operating a permanent museum dedicated to the exhibition of the diverse artistic works of Yannis Gaïtis and Gabriella Simossi, the Gaïtis – Simossi Museum is committed to promoting and showcasing their contributions both nationally and internationally. Additionally, the Museum aims to function as a contemporary, sustainable institution, reflecting the evolving role of museums. It seeks to engage with the community through a variety of activities, including temporary exhibitions, cultural events, and educational programs.

Why the Yannis Gaïtis and Gabriella Simossi Museum in Ios?

Yannis and Gabriella both come from the Aegean: my father from Tinos, a fertile land for many artists, my mother from Milos and Euboea. However, when I had to choose the resting place of my father, who died young, at the age of 61, I chose Ios. Here I built a small white chapel near his house, where they both rest today.

Yannis Gaïtis, the Athenian, discovered Ios during a trip with his friend Jean-Marie Drot. They both loved the place and decided to “make a pact with the island and put down roots in this rocky soil”. Very soon, in 1964, Gaïtis designed and supervised the construction of Jean-Marie Drot’s house on Ios, while Gabriella Simossi made imposing sculptures, inside the house and outside on the terraces facing the sea.

A few years later, Yannis Gaïtis started building his own house, on the other side of the same small bay. The two houses still stand facing each other today, carving in this remarkable space an eternal complicity. Yannis patiently built his house for almost ten years, a work of happiness and freedom. There he worked on his paintings until his death on 22 July 1984, a few days after the opening of his major retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Athens. Melina Mercouri, then Minister of Culture, honored him as citizens who had glorified their city were honored in ancient Greece.

The will to keep my parents’ work alive was imperative for me and the island of Ios was an obvious and faithful choice.

In 1997, my partner Jacques Charrat and I began the first sketches for the architectural design of the museum. I was delighted that my mother was able to see the model of the future museum before her death on 27 May 1999, just before the opening of her retrospective exhibition in Paris at the Couvent des Cordeliers.

Thanks to the unconditional support of the Municipality of Ios at every step, and with the valuable help of the Ministry of Culture, this deep dream of mine became a reality, since the construction of the Museum was completed in 2009. With Georgios Poussaios, with whom we started together, then with Michalis Petropoulos, and finally with Gkikas Gkikas, whose continuous efforts made the completion possible.

Without a doubt, Gaïtis and Simossi, my beloved parents, taught me that it was necessary, every day, tirelessly, with determination, and sometimes to the point of exhaustion, to repeat the same gestures in the service of a project and a noble cause, knowing that in the end this is the only stance in life.

These gestures of all, this convergence of so much energy and goodwill, are the beginning of this Museum, which will, I hope, mark the inclusion of

Gaïtis and Simossi in the national heritage of the Greek people and allow art lovers to better understand the diversity, richness and modernity of their work.

On September 14 th 2024, the Gaïtis – Simossi Museum will be officially inaugurated, almost 27 years after the initial conception of the idea and the architectural design. I hope that the contribution of my children and myself, as well as the Municipality and Mayor Gkikas Gkikas, will allow visitors from all over the world to discover this unique museum in Greece. We hand over to the people of Ios this sacred legacy so that they, in turn, and for the future, will love, appreciate and honour it.

All of us here, who share this light, thank you very much.

Loretta Gaïtis