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Private company

Athena

Logo: Athena (Retailer), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons3

British art retailer and retail chain

Athena is a British art retailer and retail chain, which was founded in 1964. Today it sells fine art prints from a variety of UK artists. However it is best known for its iconic posters such as L'Enfant (a picture of a muscular man cradling a baby), The Lord of the Rings from 1976 by Jimmy Cauty, the Tennis Girl poster from 1976 and "Beyond City Limits", published in the 1990s.2 It ceased to exist in 1995.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1964Founded1
  • Industryretail1

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Athena is a British art retailer and retail chain, which was founded in 1964. Today it sells fine art prints from a variety of UK artists. However it is best known for its iconic posters such as L'Enfant (a picture of a muscular man cradling a baby), The Lord of the Rings from 1976 by Jimmy Cauty, the Tennis Girl poster from 1976 and "Beyond City Limits", published in the 1990s. The company's popular success divided opinion amongst intellectuals and art critics who were uncertain as to whether these works were too vulgar and populist to be considered art.2

Timeline

  1. 1995Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1964Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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