1821 Before and After – The Exhibition in Benaki Museum in honour of 200 years of Independence

The Benaki Museum presents the anniversary exhibition to celebrate the bicentenary of the pivotal year in Modern Greek history, 1821, the year when the revolution which resulted in independence was declared.

One thousand and two hundred objects will unfold more than 100 years of history (1770-1870) over 2,500 square meters for eight months.

This fascinating process of national emancipation, which begins before the 1770s Orlov Revolt and concludes in the 1880s, will be narrated in the exhibition. The exhibition is arranged in three parts and features some 1,200 exhibits that will unfold more than 100 years of history across 3,500 square meters over eight months (from March to November 2021). 

It will be the first exhibition on Modern Greek history of such scale and scope internationally.

The narrative will deploy exhibits held in the collections of the three banks and the Benaki Museum itself, a rich repository created on bonds of trust with the families of those who held center-stage in the Greek Revolution. Loans from important museums and private collections in Greece, France, and the United Kingdom, have also been secured. Paintings, sculptures, personal items belonging to key revolutionaries, historical documents, and heirlooms will be in three sections which will bring to life the progress towards a national revolution (Section I: 1770–1821), the events of the War of Independence, and its conclusion (Section II: 1821–1831), as well as the creation of the modern Greek state and its development and operation during its first half-century (Section III: 1831–1870).

The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Marinos Geroulanos and Angelos Delivorrias and included in the National Program of Bicentennial Celebrations coordinated by the “Greece 2021” Committee.