Periodic Exhibition

?Vanity. Stories of Jewellery in the Cyclades?

at the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos



The exhibition presents representative jewellery from the Cyclades, in a historical sequence extending across 7 millennia. From the Neolithic jewelry of the 6th millennium B.C. to the 1970s, their history reveal human beings? eternal need to adorn their body, hair, and clothing to draw attention and beguile, to stand out, to assert themselves, to attract auspicious powers, or to avert evil. From among these artefacts? multiple meanings, it was decided to highlight their role as evidence of human vanity and coquetry, thus stressing their timeless function and linking them with contemporary humans.

For this reason, the exhibition closes with contemporary creations by leading Greek artists who have designed pieces especially for ?Vanity?.



The idea, design, and implementation of ?Vanity? go beyond the customary framework of an archaeological exhibition in an attempt to achieve a difficult objective: winning over the motley and demanding public on Mykonos, which has to date avoided visiting the island?s Museum.

?Vanity? has been designed not only as a temporary but also as a touring exhibition. After closing its yearly cycle on Mykonos, until the end of autumn 2017, it will travel to museums on the other Cycladic islands. This action falls within the broader planning of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades to renovate the buildings hosting Cycladic museums and renew their exhibitions, which contain outstanding examples of Greek art and archaeology.