An exhibition featuring photographs of the restoration efforts at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece will run Feb. 28 – April 13 at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries at Texas A&M University.
The exhibit, sponsored in part by the Texas A&M Department of Architecture and Center for Historic Conservation, includes more than 50 photographs taken by Socratis Mavrommatis, the official photographer of the Acropolis restoration project. Renovations on several of the buildings on the Acropolis are depicted.
To introduce the exhibit, 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, Nancy Klein and Kevin Glowacki, both architectural history professors at Texas A&M, will talk about the photographs and the importance of the Acropolis.
The photo collection follows the progress of the restoration, which began in 1975 under the direction of the Committee for the Conservation of the Acropolis Museum. The exhibition is divided into four sections: one focuses on the need for restoring the Acropolis buildings; another shows the preparation for the renovation, and the others feature the main works and the monuments throughout various phases of the process.
“The photographs had to show the corresponding, incomparable beauty of the monuments and, at the same time, the difficulty of working on large pieces of marble of artistic and historical importance,” said Mavrommatis.
Catherine Hastedt, director of the J. Wayne Stark Galleries said she hopes students take the time to see the exhibit.
“This exhibit is a wonderful learning experience,” she said. “The gallery is sure to open minds about Greek architectural design and its restoration through the photographs especially because it gives you a chance to actually walk on the Acropolis.”
The Glasscock Center for Humanities Research at Texas A&M is also co-sponsoring the event.
The J. Wayne Stark University Center Galleries are located at the northeast corner of the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M University campus. The galleries are open 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and noon – 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. For more information about this exhibition and others at the Stark Galleries, call 979.845.6081 or visit the galleries’ website at http://stark.tamu.edu.
