As every year, the annual report of the Acropolis Museum was presented by its Director General, Professor Nikolaos Stambolidis.

In the context of the presentation, Mr.Stambolidis was optimistic about the eventual return of the Parthenon marbles to Athens, noting the formation of a favourable climate internationally and in Great Britain for the positive outcome of the multi-year effort. As he stressed, the arguments of those who are opposed to the return of the marbles have now been exhausted.

The small and symbolic exhibition “The Parthenon and Byron” in the foyer of the ground floor of the Museum, which relates to the seizure of the architectural sculptures of the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, also moves in this direction.

A year ago, the Museum of Excavation was added to the “arsenal” of the Acropolis Museum. The visitor now has the opportunity to see, meet and come into contact not only with the heroes and gods of Ancient Athens, but also to walk the streets and enter the homes and everyday life of ordinary people of the time who lived and worked directly under the rock of the Acropolis. This offers an experience, a unique experience in the world, in a route that starts from the area under the Museum and ends on the third floor. From the neighbourhood of the common people to the dwelling of the Goddess.

And in the past year the Museum continued to host temporary exhibitions in collaboration with institutions and museums in the country and abroad. Robert McCabe’s photography exhibition entitled “Hail Stranger in the Land of Dreams” took a unique look back at McCabe’s ‘Greek period’ with approximately 100 photographs, aiming to highlight the authenticity, culture, history, beauty and people in the everyday life of post-war Greece through the eyes of the American artist.

The exhibition “The ancient cultures of Basilicata. Treasures coming to light“, organised by the General Directorate of Museums of Italy and the network of Basilicata Museums, was presented for the first time in full at the Acropolis Museum, highlighting the relationship between the early civilisation of Basilicata and the contact with the Greeks and ancient Greek civilisation in the region that was to become Greater Greece.

The first part of the trilogy Allspice | Michael Rakowitz & Ancient Cultures, a collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the NEON Cultural Organisation, is currently being presented.Focusing on the multidimensional work of the internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Michael Rakowitz, the trilogy presents contemporary artworks in dialogue with objects from ancient cultures from the Middle East and the south-eastern Mediterranean. The exhibition includes thirteen antiquities on loan from the Museum of Ancient Civilizations in Chicago and the Museum of Cycladic Art, as well as a large series of contemporary works from Michael Rakowitz’s The invisible enemy should not exist series.

Apart from the continuous adaptation and promotion of the permanent exhibition and the hosting of temporary exhibitions, the Museum continues its work as a cultural institution by organising educational programmes, seminars, cultural events, guided tours to schools, implementation of programmes for special groups of the public.