London exhibits Byzantine history
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was in London earlier this week, far from the political headaches in Athens, to attend the opening of the «Byzantium 330-1453» exhibition. «I am proud to be Greek,» Karamanlis said. «As a Greek I know that I speak for all my compatriots when I say that I feel a special pride for the creativity of our forefathers, a sense of pride that melds into a deep sense of responsibility to spare no labor to make this cultural heritage available to whoever wants to study it and to restore its deepest values to the current situation.» While in London on Tuesday, Karamanlis met also with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and had lunch with Greek shipowners based in the British capital. He discussed the international economic crisis and the responsibility of politicians to find an effective way out. This is the first such exhibition in London since 1958 and it reflects the great changes in this field of study due to the many discoveries that have been made in the meantime. It incorporates some 340 objects, including icons, wall paintings, mosaics, ivory, jewelry, enamels, textiles, manuscripts and gold, silver and other metalwork. It will run until March 22, 2009, and has been organized by the Royal Academy of Arts with the collaboration of the Benaki Museum in Athens and is supported by the J.F. Costopoulos, A.G. Leventis and Stavros Niarchos foundations.
