“For these we fought: Antiquities and the Greek Revolution 1821” in National Museum

An exhibition juxtaposing Greek antiquities with 18th and 19th century works will open at the National Archaeological Museum on February 11 as part of the events celebrating the bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence in 1821.

The exhibition is named after a quote attributed to General Yiannis Makrygiannis, a leading historical figure. In his memoirs, Makrygiannis wrote that he admonished Greek fighters not to sell or give away any of the antiquities in Greece “because it’s for these we fought the war.”

The exhibition “For these we fought: Antiquities and the Greek Revolution” consists of five sections and presents a total of 26 artifacts juxtaposed with 26 modern works, mainly by European painters showing Greek landscapes of the time, linking Greece to Europe.

Twenty-six selected antiquities (22 marble sculptures and reliefs, 2 earthenware, 2 bronze figurines) from the collections of the National Archaeological Museum are presented in an eclectic “dialogue” with twenty-six new 18th and 19th-century European artworks : 8 paintings (oil paintings and watercolors), the Ministry said in a press release.

The exhibition objects reflect the Philhellenism, while reference is also made to the loss of antiquities. “The contemplation of monumental architecture throughout Greece – from the Acropolis to the Epicurean Apollo Temple at Bassae – that contributed to the Greek people’s understanding of the role antiquities played in forming their collective identity.”

The exhibition is supported by digital projections of drawings from pre-revolutionary Greece.

“The exhibit is interesting because it links two commemorations, the 2,500th anniversary since the naval battle of Salamis and the battle of Thermopylae with the Greek Revolution,” Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said on Tuesday during the presentation of the exhibition.

In the Greek government narrative the 1821 “Revolution did not just happen suddenly but it  resulted from a series of developments related to the awakening of national consciousness, already detectable in the Late Byzantine era.”

“From the 18th century on, this development matured and the Revolution came as a result of intellectual, ideological and political movements of the era, (…) adopting in reality the basic values and principles of ancient Greece, culminating in Arete and Liberty, as they are experienced after the Greek victory in the Persian Wars,” Minister Mendoni stressed.

I personally do not agree with this long history jumps linking Ancient Greece with the Revolution of 1821 and omitting everything else in-between. It seems to me “too superficial” as if those in charge are a bit lazy to dig and think and organize… They just need to visit the museums dedicated to the heroes of the Greek Revolution and make links with sense between the important chapters of the Greek history.

PS Despite the relevant yet ultra long press release by the Greek Culture Ministry, we still have to learn when the exhibition ends.