The Benakis Museum of Greek Culture

The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is housed in one of the most beautiful neoclassical buildings in Athens, close to the National Garden and the Greek Parliament. The building was offered to the Nation for the creation of a museum to house the collections of Antonis Benakis and his three sisters, Alexandra, Penelope and Argini. After its latest reconstruction (1989–2000), it houses a unique timeless exhibition on the progress of Greek culture from prehistory to the 20th century. A small building formed the original core of the complex. The first major extension was carried out by Anastasios Metaxas in 1911 after he bought the property from Emmanouil Benakis, the father of Antonis. The external marble staircase, the characteristic Doric propylon at the central entrance of Vas. Sophia Avenue and the morphological elements of the facades were added. The next extension took place in 1930 to turn the building into a museum, housing the Greek and Islamic art collections of Antonis Benakis, as well as a collection of Chinese ceramics. A series of extensions followed in 1965, 1968 and 1973, all necessary to accommodate the increasing number of donations. After the expansion and reconstruction of 1989-2000, the building houses the collection of Greek art and material culture of the Benaki Museum, the "Spyridon and Eurydice Kostopoulos Hall" for temporary exhibitions, the library and a number of services and offices of the Foundation.