Routes of Icons, 17th- 19th century: Art and Technology
Exhibition at the Museum of Greek Culture, Drama, Greece
The exhibition explores the stylistic and technical diversity of the icons that circulated in the Greek Orthodox space from the 17th to the 19th century, through the collections of the Benaki Museum. The concept of space is treated not only as a geographical entity but, above all, as a social construction that is consistent with the notion of community created by the Orthodox identity and shared by populations with different traditions, political status, even language. The common Byzantine background created a unified legacy of iconographic themes and technical solutions that were constantly enriched in a variety of ways in each centre of production. However, this artistic polyglossy did not erode the common foundation that allowed the transfer of icons from place to place and their common use in the same place of worship from Russia and Ukraine to the Ionian Islands, Crete, and Asia Minor.
A section of the exhibition is dedicated to the technology and conservation of Russian icons and devotional metal objects, presenting the recent findings of the European research project ERC RICONTRANS.
Opening: 13/12/2024
Duration: 14/12/2024 – 27/04/2025
