Photo: www.ethnos.gr
Attendance at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens has increased by 71% due to the "Shipwreck in Antikithira" exhibition. George Kakavas, director of the museum since last August and director of the Numismatic Museum of Athens since February 2012 considers this post a challenge. "This is the best archaeological museum in the world, with the most popular exhibitions, with a huge treasure of antiques of all excavation sites in Greece and a reserve that could be displayed at another ten archaeological museums," says Kakavas, emphasizing the contribution of the people working in it. The new director promises to "revive" for the public a hall of the museum in a way which he is not yet revealing, although it is known that the idea has been borrowed from the practice of Russian museums.
One of his first ideas is the participation of the National Archaeological Museum in the Google Art Project programme. In addition, the exhibition "Sealed history. Treasures from Greek museums and collections" will begin in Plovdiv on 9 May 2013. Mainly stone seals will be displayed at the Plovdiv Archaeological Museum with the support of Alpha Bank, ΙΚΕΑ-Bulgaria and the firm Actor. The main themes of the exhibition will be the republic, the place of the leader in history, the Olympic Games, education and other universal values.
One of the most important cultural events of the year not only in Greece - the exhibition dedicated to the Shipwreck in Antikithira - will be extended until August 2013 because of the significant interest of the audience in it. The collection entitled "Technology of the ship, cargo and mechanisms," which contains unique information about the technologies in antiquity was published with the support of Cosmote. The museum programme will include films in English as well as other events (music, theatre, dance), which will be organized in the garden and in the halls.
George Kakavas required that the museum be fenced. The Central Archaeological Council discussed the issue several years ago but rejected the request then, not only because the museum, the garden and the square intertwine with each other but also because it is not good for a democracy when museums are behind fences. The museum director wants to increase the number of the museum employees, which are now 129.