Benaki Museum director, Angelos Delivorrias passes, aged 81

The Benaki Museum's complete announcement is as follows: "The Benaki Museum Administrative Committee and Foundation staff express their deep sorrow for the loss of academic and professor Angelos Delivorrias, who for 45 years led the Foundation from the positions of  Director and Administrator. The breadth of his spirit, his trust in humanity, his enduring diligence and  inexhaustible creativity inspired those who had the chance to get to know him, either personally or through his important work. His loss is unbearable. "

Condolences from the political world to the President of the House

Condolences for the loss of Angelos Delivorrias, were expressed by the President of Parliament, Nikos Voutsis, describing the late director as a "prominent personality of letters and culture".

Evangelow Venizelos, veteran PASOk member, and former minister called him: An Archangel of Culture has been incorporated into our collective memory

Who was Angelos Delivorias

Angelos Delivorrias was born in 1937. He studied archeology-history at the University of Thessaloniki and the University of Athens and did postgraduate studies in Freiburg. In 1965, after a competition, he was appointed to the Archaeological Service, from where he resigned in 1969.

From 1969 to 1972 he continued his archeology studies at Tübingen with a scholarship from Alexander von Humboldt, in 1972 he received his PhD degree with Magna cum laude and from 1972 to 1973 he did post-doctoral studies in Paris, Sorbonne and École Pratique des Hautes Études.

In 1965 he was appointed to the Hellenic Archaeological Service and served at the National Archaeological Museum.

In 1973, he graduated from the University of Sorbonne at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes School. A year later (1973) he was assigned the direction of the Benaki Museum in Athens, where he recommended the immediate, radical regeneration that was completed after 27 years (2000). In 1992 he was professor of Art History at the Department of Theater Studies of the School of Philosophy of the University of Athens.

In 2000, he was honored by the Academy of Athens with a Silver Medal, while the Benaki Museum was awarded the "Gold Medal".

On 31 October 2014, at an event held in the main building of the Museum, he announced his departure from the post of director, taking a seat in the Administrative Committee of the Foundation. In June 2016 he was elected full member of the Academy of Athens.

Inspiration for the Benaki Museum

Aggelos Delivorrias succeeded in transforming a multidimensional private collection housed in a neoclassical building in the center of Athens into a pioneering multi-branch cultural nexus including the Piraeus Street building ("The Museum of the Generation of ' 30 ') and others.

With this inspiration, on the one hand, he managed to attract the interest of many donors, on the other hand he realized a narrative process of development, consisting in the diachronic projection of Greek culture from antiquity to contemporary art.

He was the longest-lasting (internationally) head of a Museum, but at the same time manager, fundraiser and scientific officer, as well as the man who had undertaken all sorts of contacts with the administrative services of the Greek state.

The funeral of Angelos Delivorias will be held at public expense.

He will be buried on Friday, April 27th at the First Cemetery of Athens, at 14.00.