According to the general director of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikolaos Stampolidis, who spoke to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency about yesterday’s tour of the Museum, the former US president was “excellent and impeccable”, as was the whole family
The Acropolis Museum (and the Holy Rock) were visited yesterday, Wednesday June 21, Barack Obama with his family, his wife Michelle and their two daughters. The former president of the USA was in our country for meeting of “Obama Foundation Leaders” which took place early yesterday afternoon in a central hotel in Athens.
According to general director of the Acropolis Museumprofessor Nikolaos Stampolidiswho spoke to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency about yesterday’s guided tour of the Museum, the former US president was “excellent and flawless”, like the whole family, his sister, but also his entourage, and he showed great interest in many things, some of which he remembered from his previous visit to the Museum and wanted to see again. Also, he liked the new arrangement of the archaic hallas he remembered quite a bit from there, such as, for example, the archaic colors.
As the professor informed APE-MPE, in the section of the Museum where five of the six Caryatids of the Erechtheion are housed –the sixth is in the British Museum– Mr. Obama, seeing the vacancy, asked “why don’t you also ask for the sixth Caryatid?’ “We only focus on the Parthenon Sculptures,” Mr. Stampolidis replied. But also for the Greek request for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, an informed ex-President of the USA showed. “He said he knows about it, because I guess D. Pandermalis would have told him about it during his visit in 2016. I told him about the late D. Pandermali, that he is no longer with us and that he was a wise teacher and the man who took the initiative to build the Museum. “I know”, he said, because he had a very good tour with him then”, he added general director of the Acropolis Museum.
“Also, he and his wife showed a great interest in the social issues of the 5th century. e.g., things discussed in the Parthenon hall, especially about the democracybecause o Parthenon is the cradle of world culture and democracy”, Mr. Stampolidis told APE-MPE, who presented the famous guests with many details that are often not easily seen with the naked eye. “Mainly in the frieze, I showed him some things and explained to him that if we don’t see them at this height which is very close to us today, they wouldn’t see them at 10-12 meters when they were on the wall of the nave. And therefore that all this thought or rather the conception, planning and execution of putting on a modern “parade”, like the Panathenaia, in a temple that until then had only mythological themes, this could also be done by the “opposition ” of Pericles to be considered an insult. So that’s why they put them up with all the details, why that way exalted their state and democracy in the eyes of the Gods”emphasized Mr. Stampolidis.
As for whether the former US president showed some particular interest in exhibitshe said that “sometimes he went to objects himself, remembered and pointed to thingssuch as color for example. The wife and kids were going crazy mainly with physicality of the statues and especially with the fingers and toes, with the details,” said Mr. Stampolidis.
Today Mr. Obama will participate in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Mental Health Conference “SNF Nostos Conference” at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
