Memories of childhood and war at a museum in Plaka
Clumsy, yet lively and expressive, the works of art currently on display at the Museum of Greek Children’s Art are also of historical value. Samples of child behavior, they were created by children hospitalized in the Ippocrateio Hospital’s children’s ward from 1945 to 1948. At the helm of the hospital at the time was Professor Constantinos N. Alivizatos and it is his wife, Lily Alivizatou, who came to the rescue of these examples of artistic expression. Two years ago, she donated the collection to the Museum of Greek Children’s Art. At the same time, Hestia Publishers have just published a stylish and moving edition on the world of children during the German occupation. The book records the emotions of the children, as well as those of the enlightened people who took care of their nutrition, attire and rudimentary education, ultimately offering them the chance to express themselves through art during difficult times. Back then, literature Professor Manolis Triantafyllidis, writer Ilias Venezis and artist Spyros Vassileiou supported the efforts of Alivizatos. At the first International Exhibition of Children’s Drawings in Paris in 1947, 1,200 works from 40 countries went on display. Among them were 17 works from the Ippocrateio children’s ward. At the Plaka museum recently, historian and honorary president of the museum Aikaterini Koumarianou, and professor and artist Iota Kalliakmani unveiled the images of the past in an emotional ceremony. Museum of Greek Children’s Art, 9 Kodrou, Plaka, tel 210.331.2621. To November 18.
