The Athenian: At the Benaki Museum: "9 Lumen", Yiannis Adamakos

March 27, 2013

At the Benaki Museum: "9 Lumen", Yiannis Adamakos

When most things seem to go wrong, art is the only guaranteed way out .

Located on 138, Piraeus street, the cultural center of the Benaki Museum is one of the most important places of art in Greece.

It is housed in an old factory that was totally reconstructed but still keeps its original industrial character.

Piraeus street was one of the first places of industry units' mass location. The industrialization of the area took place during the years 1880- 1922.

The main reasons of this choice were the low cost of land, the position of the street as it connects Athens to Piraeus and of course the water of the Kifissos river located nearby that many factories used.

The first signs of the crisis in the industrial production of the country appeared in the 1970s.

Unfortunately, the development policy failed to rescue the thousands of jobs lost between 1981-1991. The industries on Piraeus street closed one after the other and remained abandoned for many years after.

The establishment of the Cultural Center of the Benaki Museum on Piraeus street was a big step to development for the whole place.

The entire building occupies an area of 8,200 sq.m. with underground 2,800 sq.m. atrium and 850 m The fairgrounds cover an area 3,000 square meters, the auditorium has a capacity of 300 people, and there are rooms that host the services of the Museum.

Temporary exhibitions and various artistic activities, music and dance performances, lectures and presentations are hosted in this highly prestigious industrial building.

Externally, dominates the red of iranian stone. The premises of this introverted building develop around the atrium in the center of the interior.

But we'd better get inside!