History Has a Face: exhibition marking 200 years since Greek revolution opens

An outdoor exhibition in the historical centre of Nicosia and a virtual exhibition at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution. History Has a Face aims to honour the heroes of 1821.

Two centuries after the national rebirth, the historical centre of old Nicosia (Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Phaneromeni, Ledra and Onasagoras streets, Eleftheria Square) hosts an impressive outdoor exhibition that puts the spotlight on those who fought and died for freedom. Opened on Wednesday, History Has a Face will run until the end of the year while the digital version has been live since March 31.

The exhibition showcases 22 paintings that depict emblematic figures from a total of 320 portraits sketched by Benjamin Mary (1792-1846), diplomatic representative of Belgium to Greece. The drawings were made from life, mostly in Athens, between 1839 and 1844. They are exhibited for the first time, acquainting the beholder with known and unknown personalities of the Greek Revolution and of Greece under King Otto, through the sensitive, penetrating gaze of a European artist.

Fighters, politicians, clergymen, intellectuals, philhellenes and ordinary people posed patiently for Mary, who succeeded in capturing their mien at a unique moment in history.

Further historical evidence, as well as information about the depicted people, are included in the publication of the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation and the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece – National Historical Museum: History Has a Face – Figures of 1821 in Otto’s Greece by the Belgian diplomat Benjamin Mary (Athens, 2020).

History Has a Face

Outdoor photography exhibition portraying known and unknown faces of the Greek Revolution together with a revealing look at the National Assembly of 1843-1844. April 15-December 31. Ledras-Onasagorou Streets and Phaneromenis-Eleftheria Square, Nicosia. April 19-December 31. Limassol Promenade and theme park. Online exhibition until December 31. Tel: 22-128157 www.boccf.org