The founders, Basil and Elise Goulandris, as advocates of the idea that Art should be open to society and apart from their important contribution with the establishment of the Museum of Contemporary Art on Andros, envisioned the creation of yet another museum in Athens that would offer the opportunity to a broader audience to come into contact with modern and contemporary art, which was the main focus of their own interest.

A new museum, bearing the name of its founders “Basil and Elise Goulandris”, is housed in Pagrati, in a building belonging to the foundation, the result of harmonious interaction of a listed, mid-war building and a contemporary extension. The selection of the location was based on the wish of Basil and Elise Goulandris for the museum to be in a central point of the capital, easily accessible to visitors, within the cultural axis, which includes the city’s other important museums.

The construction of the new museum of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation began in August 2012 and was completed in October 2018.

The new museum was inaugurated in October 2019.