Exhibition opening: 50 Greek artists dedicate works of contemporary art to Lord Byron at the War Museum
The Philhellenism Museum and the War Museum, in the context of the year “2024, Year of Lord Byron and Philhellenism”, inaugurated the group exhibition “… Where the arts of war and peace grew…”, with the participation of 50 distinguished Greek artists.
The exhibition is presented in the foyer of the Amphitheater of the War Museum.
A handwritten poem by Lord Byron from the archive of the Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism (SHP), became the conceptual and material body in which 50 works were deployed and narrate in modern terms the main milestones in the life and work of Lord Byron.
During the opening, the President of the War Museum, Lieutenant General Mr. Konstantinos Karamesinis, welcomed the guests and spoke about the collaboration with the Philhellenism Museum, thanking the contributors for the unique way in which the space was shaped into a new museum destination.
The founder and president of the SHP and the Philhellenism Museum in Athens, Mr. Constantinos Velentzas, referred to Lord Byron as the most famous man of his time, who was a role model for the most important artists and intellectuals. Every soul that felt suffocated in the societies of the early 19th century, wanted to be like him. For 2024, the Philhellenism Museum has presented two more major exhibitions dedicated to Lord Byron and the Byronic art on which Philhellenism was based. One is hosted at the Hellenic Parliament and the second at the Academy of Athens. All exhibitions are open to the public with free admission.
The activities of the SHP and the Philhellenism Museum in 2024 will be completed with two conferences in November 2024 (at the Museum of Cycladic Art and at the University of Cambridge), and with a big concert to take place in the Herodeion oden, on October 10, 2024, with selected artists, the orchestra and the choir of ERT.
As the exhibition is under the auspices of the British Embassy, representing the British Ambassador in Athens, Ms. Katharina Arnold spoke about the intense activity of the SHP and the Philhellenism Museum regarding Lord Byron and Philhellenism.
The Philhellenism Museum houses and exhibits the largest private collection of Lord Byron’s personal effects and Byronic art, as well as 5,000 valuable historical relics and evidence related to Philhellenism.
The curator of the exhibition, Mrs. Iris Kritikou, spoke about the bold project to present a tribute of contemporary art to Lord Byron and the way in which fifty distinguished Greek artists proceeded to create an independent organic art area around and within visual, plastic, and symbolic references to the great romantic poet and Philhellene.
The exhibition is under the auspices of the British Embassy.
Participating artists:
Yannis Adamakis, Aggeliki Antonea, Lydia Venieri, Marilitsa Vlahaki, Marina Vlachaki, Andreas Georgiadis, Markos Georgilakis, Maria Giannakaki, Stratigoula Giannikopoulou, Fanis Goulis, Maria, Diakodimitriou, Frangiskos Doukakis, Argyro Driva, Stamatis Zannos, Nikos Zivas, Gogo Ieromonachou, Apostolis Itskoudis, Polina Kasimati, Andreas Kontellis, Themis Kontogouris, Filippos Koutrikas , Nikos Leontopoulos, Vassilis Liaouris, Minas Mavrikakis, Manos Batzolis, Ismini Bonatsou, Rouli Mpoua, Yiannis Brouzos, Andreas Nikolaou, Mary Ntagianta, Thodoros Papagiannis, Christos Papadakis, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Kostas Papatriandafyllopoulos, Nikos-Giorgos Papoutsidis, Nikos Perantinos, Stelios Petroulakis, Michalis Sakalis, Giorgos Saltaferos, Ifigenia Sdoukou, Stefanos Souvatzoglou, Vasilis Soulis, Kostas Spiriounis, Marina Stellatou, Praxitelis Tzanoulinos, Nikos Triantafyllou, Claire Tsalouchidi-Chatzimina, Dimos Flessas, Manolis Charos.
A bilingual catalogue will be published as part of the exhibition, and parallel actions are planned.
“… Where the arts of war and peace grew…”
Curator: Iris Kritikou, archaeologist and art historian.
Venue: War Museum, Amphitheater Foyer, Rizari 2, 10675 Athens
Duration: July 9, 2024 – September 9, 2024
Days and hours of operation: Daily, 9.00 – 19.00
Free entrance
Information:
Museum of Philhellenism | Email: info@phmus.org | T. +30 210 8094750
War Museum | E.: info@warmuseum.gr | T. +30 210 7252974
Media sponsor:
With the kind sponsorship of the Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism and the international group EUROPEAN DYNAMICS.
