Athens from East to West, 1821-1896 a brilliant photographic exhibition and historical documentary by Maria Iliou, presents the history of 19th century Athens and its transformation from a small Ottoman city to the European capital which was awarded the Athens 1896 Summer Olympic Games that marked the birth of the Modern Olympics.
In the course of the screenings of the documentary Smyrna, the Destruction of a Cosmopolitan City which was presented at the Benaki Museum in 2012, Angelos Delivorrias and Maria Iliou discussed the creation of a new project which would comprise historical documentaries on the history of modern Athens from 1821 to today. Eight years later, the screenwriter, director, and producer, Maria Iliou, has created five documentary films, the first of which Athens from East to West, 1821-1896 will be presented from February 12th to April 26th 2020 at the main Benaki Museum in conjunction with a photographic exhibition.
The exhibition uses visual material from archives in Greece, Europe, America, Canada, and Australia with the in-kind contribution of numerous institutions. The exhibition describes Athens’ transformation from a minor city to a cultural hub in the most eloquent way, using sounds and music of that era.