“Art in Gold: Jewellery in Hellenistic times” at the Benaki Museum of Hellenic Culture with works from 30 museums in Greece and 5 abroad

On Tuesday 12 November 2024 the exhibition “Art in Gold. Jewellery in the Hellenistic Period”. The exhibition is part of the project “The Collections of the Benaki Museum and Contemporary Creation”, included in the “ATTIKI” programme of the NSRF 2021-2027, co-funded by the European Union and running from 13 November 2024 to 27 April 2025.

During the Hellenistic period, that followed the conquests of Alexander the Great, the art of jewellery-making attained its zenith.

What messages did the iconography of the jewellery of this era convey? What kinds of jewellery did members of the aristocracy prefer? How were brides bedecked before the wedding ceremony? Which pieces of jewellery accompanied the adult dead and which those who had departed prematurely? How were these exquisite specimens of the ancient goldsmith’s art made? Can the Hellenistic tradition inspire contemporary creators?

These and many more questions are explored in the exhibition ‘Art in Gold: Jewellery in Hellenistic Times’. With the participation of 30 museums and Ephorates of Antiquities in Greece and five international museums, it presents unique assemblages of gold jewellery of the Hellenistic period (323–30 BC).

Among them is a large part of the elaborate pieces of jewellery from the ‘Thessaly / Karpenisi Hoard’, which is shared between the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and the Benaki Museum. Second-century BC goldsmith’s tools found in Bosnia-Herzegovina will be exhibited for the first time in Greece, while informative texts and graphics, as well as videos and animations relating to the basic techniques of jewellery making will accompany the exhibition.

In order to familiarise the public with the basic techniques of Hellenistic jewellery making, five video animations are shown, which present in an easy-to-understand way the process of shaping five selected pieces of jewellery from the Benaki Museum. In addition, in a display case without protective glass, visitors, both sighted and visually impaired, have the opportunity to touch different types of wire and moulds to reproduce decorative themes. By touching them, they will be able to understand the process of turning a flat plate into a full-figured human figure (this is the technique of ejection pressure). The constructions in this showcase are also the work of Akis Goumas.

Of particular interest is the contemporary art section, in which eight artists and creators from Greece and abroad exhibit their own works. Peter Bauhuis, Akis Goumas, Patrick Davison, Pura Ferreiro, Anastasia Kandaraki, Lucia Massei, Dimitris Nikolaidis and Despina Pantazopoulou have created works inspired by Hellenistic jewellery from the Benaki Museum.

The exhibition, curated by archaeologist Irini Papageorgiou, curator of the Department of Prehistoric, Ancient Greek and Roman Collections of the Benaki Museum, is accompanied by a scientific catalogue in two languages (Greek and English).

The exhibition “Art in gold. Jewellery in Hellenistic times” is part of the Action “The Collections of the Benaki Museum and Contemporary Design” of the Program “Attiki”, Partnership Agreement 2021-2027, and is co-funded by the European Union.