AIA Hosts ‘Images of Athens’ Exhibition from Benaki Museum

Ioannis Lambros – Panoramic view of Athens with the Acropolis in the background, 1960

The Athens International Airport (AIA) “Eleftherios Venizelos” is currently hosting an exhibition titled, “Images of Athens from Benaki Museum’s Photographic Archives” in its “Art & Culture” exhibition area at the arrivals level.

“This exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to travel back in time, to the Athens that no longer exists,” an announcement said. It is taking place within the framework of the airport’s partnership with the Benaki Museum, which for 2018 includes the presentation of two thematic exhibitions from the museum’s collections and archives.

Dimitrios Harissiadis - Omonia Square, 1955

Dimitrios Harissiadis - View of Syntagma Square, 1956

In the early years of the invention of photography (1839), Athens attracted a number of foreign photographers, who systematically captured the archaeological monuments of the capital of the newly-founded Greek State. As time went by and Athens continued to develop, professional and amateur photographers meticulously continued to depict the capital in their photos.

Nelly’s – The Tzisdaraki mosque in Monastiraki, 1927-29

The images on display at AIA present views of the city center, its squares and central roads from the mid-19th century up to the late 1960s. They have been selected from the collection of the Photographic Archives of the Benaki Museum and are considered valuable due to their historical significance and their aesthetic excellence.

The exhibition opened its doors on March 12 and will last until July 15. Admission is free.