Unique architectural drawings, paintings and photographic documents from traditional mansions of the 17th – 18th to the 19th centuries are presented in their state of conservation until the decade of 1940. This extensive survey, organized by the Association of Greek Folk Art, was undertaken in order to study, protect and revitalize architectural tradition, at a time when the prevalence of modernism was already obvious, but mass destruction for the sake of postwar reconstruction had not yet begun.
The material has been captured by a group of young architects and artists under the supervision of their professor, Dimitris Pikionis, a pioneer in the study of traditional architecture in Greece. Beyond their scientific value, the drawings are themselves worthy artworks, by creators who in their subsequent course were distinguished in their field, such as architects Dimitris Moretis, Alexandra Paschalidou-Moreti, Giorgos Giannoulellis etc. and painters Nikos Engonopoulos and Yiannis Tsarouchis.
This unique collection is kept at the National Historical Museum (Old Parliament Building) as the first ever organized effort for documenting traditional architecture in Greece. It is a valuable source of information for buildings of inestimable artistic value and historical wealth, which have today been demolished or stand heavily altered or in a precarious state.
The exhibition is accompanied by architectural woodcarvings and other supporting material from the collections of the National Historical Museum and the Historical and Folklore Museum of Kozani.
Free admission
