Metamorphoses of Athens 1839-1950

This collection aspires to reassemble, with the help of rare photographic material, the oldest
images of the city of Athens from the mid-19th century to the first years following WWII. Many iconic Athenian buildings, long since displaced from the center of interest, now claim a place in the memory of viewers and help them to mentally reproduce the older form of the city, as its inhabitants and its visitors experienced it in the past.

Modern Athens is a particular example of urban development. History showed a certain respect, and the city did not sustain destruction from earthquakes or battles, as did many other cities both within and outside Greece. Some neighborhoods escaped systematic reconstruction and today constitute a breath of fresh air in the dense urban web of the city.

The collection is enriched with panoramic views of Athens in large format, old cameras and stereoscopes, two of which are amazing apparatus of the time that allow the visitor to look at fifty photographs by turning a lever.

Original Works

Over 120 photographs.

Highlights

Including more than one hundred and twenty authentic photographs, some of which date to the beginnings of the photographic art. The collection is enriched with panoramic views of Athens in large format, old cameras and stereoscopes, two of which are amazing apparatus of the time that allow the visitor to look at fifty photographs by turning a lever.

Exhibition Materials

High resolution images, captions, wall texts.

Display

140 linear meters (420 linear feet).

Exhibition Catalogue

Metamorphoses of Athens. A photographic itinerary from the 19th to the 20th century (H.Yiakoumis, Tasos A. Andreou, published by Kallimages, Paris 2014)

Faces of Athens from the 19th to the 20th century, 1855-1960 (V.Mavroeidakou, H.Yiakoumis, published by Kallimages, Paris 2015).

Download Collection PDF

Characteristics of Collection

Geographic location of storage: Southern Europe.
All works are shipped framed as per international museum standards.
Collection includes the necessary international shipping crates and packing materials ensuring safe ‘nail to nail” transport.
Collection is comprehensive, covering a substantial part of the artist’s body of work making it capable of serving as a stand-alone exhibition.
Museum curators are provided with extensive information and may curate the exhibition to their specifications.
Collection may be expanded or complemented with art from the borrowing museum’s own collections.
Collection provides endless opportunities for the development of educational programs, which we can assist with.

Selected Works