Digital, online exhibition “Imagining Greece 1945 – 1989”

The Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, inaugurated the retrospective digital exhibition Imagining Greece: Tourism & Nation Branding 1945–1989 on Thursday, March 27, 2025, from 12:00 to 14:00, at the ACG Events Hall, at the American College of Greece.

This was an original exhibition aiming to highlight the evolution of tourism in Greece during the Cold War through tourism campaigns and the way the country was communicated as a travel destination during that era. The “Journey to Greece” was brought to life through a rich audiovisual collection spanning five decades, capturing both the anticipation of the traveler and the images, emotions, and experiences encountered along various routes to multiple Greek destinations. Like any compelling journey, the exhibition offered numerous alternative paths for exploring Greece, along with diverse stimuli and perspectives.

The exhibition was curated by scholars specializing in history, architecture, visual culture, design studies, cultural heritage, and digital humanities, under the supervision of Dr. Irini Karamouzi, Professor of Contemporary European History at Deree – The American College of Greece (Principal Investigator). The academic team includes: Dr. Mary Ikoniadou (Research Associate), Dr. Stavros Alifragkis & Dr. Aimilia Athanasiou (Scientific and Artistic Curators), Dr. Christos Christidis, Professor of Modern History at the Hellenic Open University (Special Advisor), Despina Tsilimangou (Director of Digital Humanities), Dr. Marina Emmanouil, Dr. Metaxia Papageorgiou, Professor of Archaeology at Deree – The American College of Greece, and Dr. Afroditi Kamara (Researchers).

The exhibition was presented by Dr. Irini Karamouzi, Dr. Christos Christidis, and Stavros Alifragkis, Architect. The presentation was conducted in English.

A discussion on Tourism and Nation Branding Today followed, featuring the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, and Dr. Dimitris Sotiropoulos, Professor of Modern Political History at the University of the Peloponnese and President of the General State Archives. The discussion was moderated by Maria Vrasida, Assistant Professor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management at Deree – The American College of Greece. The conversation was conducted in Greek.

The exhibition was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and in collaboration with the National Historical Museum of Greece. It was funded by the Onassis Foundation, the National Bank of Greece, and Research England, and supported by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture and the Greek chapter of Docomomo.

To visit the digital exhibition, you may refer here.