ATHENS – Well-known archaeological monuments of Greece are depicted in the photographs in the exhibition at the Archaeological Society, which was inaugurated by the President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, but… they look a little different.

First of all, because they were shot in 1954-55 and secondly, because they are by the great American photographer and philhellene Robert McCabe.

“The Greeks have a strange relationship with our cultural heritage,” said Pavlopoulos in his speech. “The country is full of monuments, either from the archaeological excavator’s tool, or because a farmer dug up an artifact with his plough… or because of weather conditions,” explained Pavlopoulos.

“We do recognize, however, that this heritage is not only ours – its value is global and timeless. Every piece of marble is a source that inspires the spirit through art,” said Pavlopoulos and pointed out that to be proud we must defend this heritage. And that is exactly why the defense of history and monuments, is one of the many things the Archaeological Society does, he added.

For most observers, the ruins are the unchanged remains of an earlier civilization, show victories, defeats, revolutions, Robert McCabe pointed out. But for a photographer, the ruins are constantly in motion as the sun moves in the sky, the clouds change the diffusion of light, the surrounding vegetation blooms or dries, he explained.

Knossos, the Acropolis, Rhodes, Methoni, Thera, Delos, Dodoni, Corinth, Mystras, Meteora, Delphi, Epidavros, Mycenae, Sounio, spring to life in the 53 photos in another time, through the expressiveness of the black-and-white film and the artistry of McCabe, who loves our Greece as his second home, got married on Lycabettus, bought a house on Patmos, and visits Greece as often as he can.

The tribute was organized on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of the foundation of the Athens Archaeological Society (1837-2017) and the photographs are displayed at the headquarters of the company, 22, Panepistimiou Str.