The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion invites visitors on Tuesday, 26 May 2026 at 19:00 to the opening of the temporary exhibition “Writing with Light – The Krasakis Collection. Ancient Greece Through the Lens of Eight Pioneer Photographers.”

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

Dimitrios Konstantinou
Konstantinos Athanasiou
Petros Moraitis
Frédéric Boissonnas
Nikolaos Zografou
Voula Papaioannou
Nelly’s
Spyros Meletzis

In a rare presentation of one hundred original silver gelatin prints from the Michalis Krasakis Collection, key aspects of archaeological photography in Greece are brought to light, from its beginnings in the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. From D. Konstantinou, the first Greek photographer to publish an album of archaeological photographs in the 1860s, to S. Meletzis, the renowned photographer of the Greek Resistance who captured Knossos during its first post-war flourishing.

Each silver print reveals, sometimes vividly and sometimes subtly, artistic expression, historical documentation and the international projection of Greek identity, with ancient monuments taking centre stage. Visitors follow images shaped by the spirit of Romanticism and the almost painterly rendering of the monuments of the Acropolis, Delphi and Olympia, before moving into the changing perspective of Modernism, marked by fragmentation and clean lines.

At the same time, striking moments emerge through the plasticity of nude female forms at the Parthenon and the power of the blossoming almond tree at Knossos, drawing the viewer from the surface into the hidden depths of the palace itself.

These are familiar landscapes and images, captured through light, where our gaze briefly accompanies the gaze of the eight artists who created them.

Opening: Tuesday, 26 May 2026, at 19:00
Exhibition duration: 26 May – 20 August 2026

Temporary Exhibition Hall
Doucos Beaufort & Iosif Hatzidakis Street