The Heraklion Archaeological Museum will host the opening of the temporary exhibition “Writing with Light—The Krasakis Collection: Ancient Greece Through the Lens of Eight Pioneering Photographers” on Tuesday, May 26, 2016, at 7:00 p.m.

The exhibition offers a unique journey through the ancient Greek landscape as seen through the eyes of eight iconic photographers:

Dimitrios Konstantinou

Konstantinos Athanasiou

Petros Moraitis

Frédéric Boissonnas

Nikolaos Zografou

Voula Papaioannou

Nelly’s

Spyros Meletzis

In a rare exhibition of one hundred original silver prints from the Michalis Krasakis Collection, key aspects of archaeological photography in Greece are highlighted, from its beginnings in the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. From D. Konstantinou, the first Greek photographer to publish, in the 1860s, an album of archaeological photographs, to S. Meletzis, the preeminent photographer of the National Resistance who captured Knossos during its first postwar heyday.

In each silver print, artistic expression, historical documentation, and the international promotion of Greek identity emerge—sometimes vividly, sometimes subtly—with ancient monuments serving as the dominant backdrop. We witness scenes inspired by the Romantic movement and the almost painterly depiction of the monuments of the Acropolis, Delphi, and Olympia, up to the shift in perspective that characterizes the modernist era, with fragmentation and clean lines as the main features of the image. Here, however, the plasticity of the nude female figures on the Parthenon and the power of the blossoming almond tree at Knossos are particularly evident, leading us from the surface to immerse ourselves in the inner sanctum of the palace.

Familiar images and landscapes, captured in light, where our gaze briefly joins that of their eight creators.

Opening: Tuesday 26 May 2026, at: 19:00

Duration: 26 May-20 August 2026

Entrance fee: 5 euros

Temporary Exhibition Hall, Doukos Bofor & Iosif Hatzidakis Street