Mystery 17 Melina

It features original posters for famous films starring Melina Mercouri, photographs documenting her appearances at award ceremonies, her struggle against the Greek dictatorship, and her moments with loved ones, as well as film scenes, original costumes used in theatre productions still considered landmark works many decades later, her correspondence with prominent figures, and even her dressing room, complete with her personal effects.

The exhibition showcases the life’s work of the longest-serving Greek Minister of Culture to date: the institutional support she secured for the Greek Film Centre, for the establishment of Municipal and Regional Theatres, and for educational programmes promoting culture in schools; the founding of the European Capital of Culture initiative, which is still going strong today; and her announcement of plans for an archaeological park that revived the dream of connecting Athens’ archaeological sites. And, above all else, her campaign for the repatriation of the Parthenon Sculptures; back in 1989, Melina Mercouri launched a new international competition for the design of the Acropolis Museum that is now a reality – a space ready to welcome the return of the Sculptures.