Opera, a synthesis of many arts, is the attempt of the Renaissance to recreate the kind of ancient attic tragedy. Milestones in this effort have been great composers, such as Monteverdi, Gluck and Wagner, who re-defined the opera of their time based on the origins of tragedy.

No one in the 20th century has offered as much towards this direction, as the great lyrical artist, Maria Kalogeropoulou, known as Maria Callas. As a tribute to the most famous Greek of the modern era, who died prior to her time, 40 years ago, the B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation presents a unique exhibition with over two hundred personal belongings of Maria Callas, creating thus a narrative of the life and contribution of a great singer, who became a living legend and whose myth continues to live on and to become stronger each day.

 

The biggest part of the exhibited objects belongs to the impressive collection of Nick Charalambopoulos, a collection of great emotional value that the collector managed to create over the last decades and which sums up the most important years of her life: from the musical score of Traviata, one of her first major international acting roles, a score where Callas had noted the Greek translation of the libretto in order to memorize her part easier, along with part of the role’s own costume and her last jewelry (her favorite golden cross, which she was wearing on the day of her funeral but which was removed by a relative at the last minute).

A collection that includes objects relating to several of her performances, such as hair extensions, the gloves of Visconti’s Traviata, music scores, role books, dresses from various recitals (including part of the gown she wore at a recital she gave at Odeon of Herodes Atticus, along with the stole she wore), as well as clothes she wore at the famous Onassis’ parties, bags, jewelry, hats, as well as paintings, furniture, etc. Also, there are items that are exhibited for the first time, such as Callas’ identity card, her passport, part of her hair which she gave to her beloved butler, her death certificate, the first autograph signed at the age of fifteen along with her last autograph, her agenda with the handwritten addresses and phone numbers of colleagues and of people she knew, or photo albums with personal photos, as well as letters from her archive of famous conductors and directors she worked with, and  of people associated with Callas, such as Gray Kelly, the Duchess of Windsor, Laurence Olivier, and many others.

Last but not least, there are several valuable mementos of Callas such as the scarf that the great Spanish soprano Maria Malibran had given to Callas, or Aristotle Onassis’ favorite cup and objects from Christina, Onassis’ yacht, programs from recitals, and many more.

 

The visitors will also have the opportunity to navigate through the exhibition digitally by using the ClioMuseAPP and thus learn about Maria Callas’ unknown personal and professional life stories. The application is free of charge and is available on Android and iOS devices (bit.ly/cliomuse).

Exhibition Curators: Fotis Papathanassiou, Nick Charalambopoulos

Duration: 15/5 – 29/10/2017

Opening hours:

Daily: 10:00-18:00
Closed: August 1-25