Umbrellas Sculpture

George Zongolopoulos made the Umbrellas for the Venice Biennale in 1995, and a version was installed on the Thessaloniki waterfront two years later when the city was European Capital of Culture. It is a slender steel column carrying thirteen open umbrella frames of different sizes at different heights, tilted as if caught in a gust, standing right at the water's edge on the New Waterfront. The frames catch light and change appearance completely through the day, and at sunset, with the gulf and Mount Olympus behind, they produce the standard image of modern Thessaloniki. The sculpture anchors the redesigned seafront promenade of 2013, a five-kilometre run of gardens, cycle lanes and themed squares from the White Tower to the concert hall.

What you actually see

• The steel umbrellas - thirteen open frames on a tilted column.
• The waterfront setting - the sculpture standing at the sea edge.
• The Olympus view - the mountain across the gulf on clear days.
• The promenade - the redesigned seafront with its garden squares.

When to go

Sunset for the classic view, when Olympus is often visible across the water; any season works and winter light is clearest. The promenade is busiest on warm evenings and weekends.

Honest expectations

It is a single sculpture seen in ten minutes, and the surrounding stretch of waterfront is functional rather than beautiful. Getting a photograph without other people takes patience at sunset. There is no shade nearby.

Nearby

The White Tower is a twenty-minute walk northwest along the promenade; the concert hall is adjacent.