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The exhibition in Theocharakis Foundation presents Hansen the designer too - the chair with the curved back is strongly influenced by ancient Greek art and the exquisite table is itself a work of art. Designs of crystal glasses and other containers with artful decoration that were subsequently made in glass factories have been found among his sketches as well.

The Zappeion Conference and Exhibition Centre in the centre of Athens is the last project that Theophil Hansen completed in Athens. Despite his advanced age, he continued to work on various projects, which have remained only on paper. Nevertheless, they are impressive even on it.

One of them is his project for a museum of ancient objects under the Acropolis. However, it was proposed at the wrong time - just four years later, Greece was in a difficult economic situation and, like today, it was unable to pay its foreign debt.

In this situation, Prime Minister of the time Charilaos Trikoupis uttered in parliament the already proverbial phrase: "Regretfully, we are bankrupt." The government declared bankruptcy and the government finances were under the control of the International Finance Commission for Greece that monitored them for 81 years, from 1897 to 1978.

The project for a summer royal palace in Piraeus, which Hansen presented to the Greek royal family in 1889, has remained unfulfilled as well.

All sketches and projects, many of which are true works of art can be seen at the B&M Theocharakis Foundation for Fine Arts and Music in Athens until 18 January. A walk to the trilogy on Panepistimiou Street, which is located less than a kilometre from there, will bring to life before the eyes of visitors the mastery of an outstanding architect who has preserved the tradition of ancient times while leaving his own mark on the appearance of Athens.