Spyros Vassiliou: Art, Life, Legacy

Join us at the Hellenic Museum for a relaxed afternoon of art, conversation, and connection.

Enjoy an apéritif as we gather for a special talk exploring the life and work of celebrated Greek artist Spyros Vassiliou, shared through the deeply personal perspectives of his daughter and granddaughter.

In this intimate conversation, Drossoula Vassiliou-Elliott and Lucy Elliott offer a chronological journey through Vassiliou’s career — from his early years in Galaxidi and studies at the School of Fine Arts, to his work in the 1930s, powerful wartime woodcuts, extensive collaborations in theatre, and his lasting post-war contributions to Greek cultural life. Drawing on lived experience and family memory, they reflect on how daily life, proximity, and place shaped his artistic vision.

The speakers also explore Vassiliou’s enduring legacy through το ρόδι, the much-loved Greek children’s magazine he contributed to during his lifetime, and its revival today for a new generation of readers across Greece and the global Greek diaspora.

This special event will also mark the unveiling of a signed lithograph by Spyros Vassiliou, gifted to the Hellenic Museum via the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens by the Vassiliou family.

This event is free, but tickets are limited.

Speaker Biographies

Drossoula Vassiliou-Elliott is the founder of το ρόδι, the beloved Greek children’s magazine first published in 1977, and a central figure in The Athenian, the long-running English-language magazine she co-produced with her husband, the American writer and editor Sloane Elliott.  The daughter of renowned Greek artist Spyros Vassiliou, Drossoula has spent her life immersed in cultural life, championing education, the arts, and creative expression.

Lucy Elliott is the editor-in-chief of today’s το ρόδι, now being revived for a new generation of young readers in Greece and across the global Greek diaspora. Based in Athens, Lucy studied child education in the United States, and she remains committed to expanding cultural access for children worldwide. She currently serves as an operations team member at the Stelios Haji-Ioannou Philanthropic Foundation.