Athina Onassis made a rare public appearance at the Friends of the Pompidou Center gala dinner in Paris on March 11, 2025.
The exclusive event, held at the renowned Centre Pompidou, brought together distinguished guests from the worlds of art, culture and philanthropy to celebrate the museum’s expansion of its contemporary collections, spanning from 1977 to the present.
As the sole surviving descendant of shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, Athina has largely maintained a private lifestyle, making her presence at high-profile social events particularly noteworthy. Her attendance at the Pompidou dinner highlights her ongoing ties to the European cultural and philanthropic scene, reinforcing her connection to the legacy of her illustrious family.
The event featured an elegant dinner and exclusive viewings of newly acquired contemporary artworks, with influential figures from the art world, business, and international society in attendance. Guests had the opportunity to engage in discussions about the future of modern and contemporary art, as well as the significance of preserving and expanding cultural institutions like the Centre Pompidou.
Athina, who has rarely been seen at public events in recent years, appeared poised and elegant, embracing the artistic and philanthropic atmosphere of the evening.
The reclusive heiress, the last surviving heir of Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, turned 40 in January 2025.
Born on 29 January 1985 and later baptized at her grandfather’s home on the Greek island of Skorpios, Athina currently resides in Belgium but has also lived in various locations throughout her life, including Switzerland, Brazil and the United States.
The daughter of Christina Onassis, who died at 37 after a life filled with excess of every kind, is the sole surviving Onassis (her uncle Alexandros having died in an airplane accident in 1973). Like her grandfather and her mother, she has been singled out for a life of difficulty in many ways despite her riches.
She was estimated at one time to have been worth as much as $5 billion after having received the $800 million of her inheritance upon turning eighteen.
However, she does not appear routinely in the world’s tabloids for her extravagant behavior, unlike many other figures. Athina is a seasoned show jumper and her devotion to expensive horses means that much of her fortune and energy has been devoted to the animals over the years.
In one of her rare public appearances, she was spotted at the wedding of Sammy Zane and Lauren Van Berkel in Monte Carlo in October 2021.
Athina visited Greece in 2007 to watch her former husband, Álvaro de Miranda Neto, compete at the Athina Onassis Horse Show. Up until then, she had shown no particular liking for the country, with her stepmother once telling interviewers, “If it were possible, she (Athina) would like to burn all the Onassis money.”
Related: Christina Onassis’ Influence on Her Daughter, Athina
