Conference article

The New Acropolis Museum and the Dynamics of National Museum Development in Greece

Christina Ntaflou
Universitå de Paris 1 Panthåon-Sorbonne, France

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Published in: Great Narratives of the Past Traditions and Revisions in National Museums

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 78:9, p. 97-111

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Published: 2012-10-30

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ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)

Abstract

In Greece; the history of archaeological museum and a consciousness of the cultural heritage of antiquity are as long as the independent nation-state. National museums were almost always connected to archaeology and the distant past provided material evidence for the country’s master national narrative of cultural and biological continuity. The New Acropolis Museum; opened in 2009; replaces the first museum built in 1874; as a project it took over 60 years to be realized. A remarkably debated affair; the history of this project offers an insight into the way official policy has dealt with the development of museums and culture in Greece. Before and indeed since the opening of the New Acropolis Museum; multitudes of critical voices have made themselves present. An overview of the positions and ideas that they have expressed about the museum since its official inauguration will provide insight into the museum dynamics that have been at play in Greece over the last forty years. Official cultural and museum policy seems to have profited from the experience of handling such a controversial project.

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