The Maria Callas Museum is a biographical museum dedicated to the renowned Greek soprano Maria Callas. It opened on 26 October 2023, and is situated near Syntagma Square at 44 Mitropoleos Street in Athens, Greece.
Μουσείο Μαρία Κάλλας | |
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 Museum's façade, 2024 | |
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| Established | 2023 |
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| Location | 44 Mitropoleos Street, Athens, Greece |
| Coordinates | 37°58′32″N 23°43′51″E / 37.9755°N 23.7308°E |
| Type | Biographical museum |
| Owner | Municipality of Athens |
| Website | https://mariacallasmuseum.gr/en/ |
History
editIn 2000, the Municipality of Athens took part at an auction of Callas' personal objects, thus initiating a small Callas-themed collection, with the initial prospect of creating an exhibition for the 2004 Summer Olympics.[1] In 2010 under the mayorship of Nikitas Kaklamanis, the Municipality of Athens bought a three storey neoclassical building of the interwar period, previously the Royal Hotel, situated on 44 Mitropoleos Street, for 7 million euros.[2] Three years later, a previous plan to house a theatrical museum at the building failed, and thus the idea for transferring the Callas collection there was born.[2] The related museologic study by Erato Koutsoudaki, Andromache Gazi and Alexandros Charkiolakis was first presented in 2014.[2] Eventually, the Maria Callas Museum was opened a decade later by Athens' mayor Kostas Bakoyannis on 26 October 2023.[3][4] For the 2023–2028 period, its administration was assigned to the administrative board of the Technopolis cultural venue.[5]
Exhibits
editThe museum includes numerous personal objects, operatic costumes[6] and personal haute couture garments, some created by Elvira Leonardi Bouyeure (Biki). According to the museum's co-designer, architect and museologist Erato Koutsoudaki, the museum's collection is not its "strong card"; instead, its exhibitions were designed around Callas' personality and include her singing voice and interviews.[2][7]
On the second floor, the museum includes four rooms with objects, pictures and sound from Callas' roles in Norma, Tosca, La traviata, and her teaching of master classes at the Juilliard School. The first floor contains written, visual and audio material relating to important roles and people in Callas' life.[7] With a view of the Acropolis, the third floor contains a mediatheque and is used for educational and performance events. The ground floor doubles as a museum shop and café, named 'La Divina'.
Gallery
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Callas' opera costumes from the 1960 Norma (costumes to the left and right) and the 1961 Medea (wig at the center), both performed in the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, and from the 1954 Tosca in Genoa, a thyrsus-like walking stick, right -
Piano–vocal scores used and annotated by Callas for practising opera roles -
Callas' 1937 US school memory book from Public School (P.S.) 189 in Washington Heights, Manhattan -
Plaque commemorating the awarding to Maria Callas of a life membership to the Dallas Civic Opera (today known as Dallas Opera); dated 12 September 1968
References
edit- ^ Howard, Michael (1 December 2000). "Auction rouses Greek passions for 'our Maria'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d Ρηγόπουλος [Rigopoulos], Δημήτρης [Dimitris] (29 March 2014). "Ενα «σπίτι» για τη Μαρία Κάλλας στην Αθήνα" [A 'home' for Maria Callas in Athens]. Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Opera diva Maria Callas museum opens in Athens on centenary". France 24. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ Maltezou, Renee (26 October 2023). "Greece opens Maria Callas museum for a glimpse into opera diva's life". Reuters. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Βασιλειάδου [Vasiliadou], Μάρω [Maro] (26 October 2023). "Το νέο «σπίτι» της Κάλλας" [Calla's new 'home']. Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ Gatopoulos, Derek (25 October 2023). "A century after her birth, opera great Maria Callas is honored with a new museum in Greece". AP News. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b Vasiliadou, Maro (3 November 2022). "A new house of worship for the divine Maria Callas". ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 31 October 2023.