The exhibit – Seeking the Ancient Kallos (Beauty) – by American fine art photographer J. Joshua Garrick made history as the first exhibition in the 125-year history of the National Archaeological Museum of Greece to be created and presented by a NON-Greek Artist. That exhibit opened September 12, 2013 in Athens and was extended twice before moving to the Sismanoglio Megaron (Palace) in Istanbul, Turkey where it opened on January 31, 2014.  The popularity of the exhibit in Turkey has seen the exhibit extended through March 30 in Istanbul.

Youth in Shadow

That exhibit now comes to America, hosted by the Consulate General of Greece in New York City, opening April 10, 2014 beginning at 6:30 pm. The exhibit is curated by art historian Iris Kritikou and designed by Marios Voutsinas.

About the exhibition

With an educated idealism and a sincere love for his subject, J. Joshua Garrick imaginatively captures unexpected angles of Greece’s sculptures and monuments in images that are then printed with an innovative laser technology on brushed aluminum. This technique gives the works an enhanced dimensional depth. Garrick’s photos offer a uniquely personal view of often unseen details of the sculptures, reminding viewers that these statues were once living, breathing people, while the titles of the works express the Artist’s life-long study of Ancient Greece.

1000 Ships

The title of the exhibit ‘Seeking the Ancient Kallos (Beauty)’ speaks to Garrick’s desire to penetrate the raw materials of classical beauty with an eye developed over decades of photographing the sculptures and monuments of Greece. Garrick's works capture his love, and philhellenic respect, for the sophisticated creations of Greece’s ancient artists. His decades-long involvement with the art of Greece takes on an additional dimension as he states, "I hope to remind the people of Greece of the primary role of Greek culture as the cradle of Western art and, respectively, the inseparable relationship of modern Greece to Europe. That includes the very real wealth of history which Greece will always have to share with the rest of the world.”

A Benefit for the International Foundation for Greece

The works on exhibit will be for sale throughout the run of the exhibition with a percentage of all sales benefiting the International Foundation for Greece (IFG). Directed by Founder and President Aspasia Leventis, the IFG was founded with the aim of developing an international network of support for groups of people facing serious problems during this period of economic crisis for Greece.  Support for the IFG comes from leaders in the arts, letters, and financial worlds whose actions remind the world that Greece was and is the cradle of civilization and who showcase the Greek ideal within their work.

Sophocles Remembered

About J. Joshua Garrick

Having completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at Columbia University, J. Joshua Garrick entered a perpetual relationship of admiration, love, inspiration and creativity with Greece. Having made more than 40 trips to Greece, Garrick chose the creations of ancient Greek civilization as the subject of his work. As an instructor of ancient Greek Art with the School of Visual Arts, Garrick has led 15 groups of American students to the cities of ancient Greece.  In recognition of the hundreds of young Americans who have been introduced to Greek culture of through his teaching, Garrick was afforded the unique opportunity, by the Greek Ephorate of Antiquities, to enter the Parthenon and photograph that venerable building from the scaffolding and roof of the Parthenon during its current ‘renovation.’ His photographs have been seen in publications including Where Magazine, U&lc, New York Post, Popular Photography, BOCA Magazine, Photography New York, Star Ledger, Photo District News, Photo Design, Chronicle of Higher Education, the cover of Gallery Guide, and have been featured in Olympic Airways publications.   

Over a lifetime in the arts, Garrick has served as a panelist with the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Massachusetts State Arts Council, The Florida State Cultural Institutions Program and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. He has served as an arts spokesperson before the U.S. Senate Arts Funding Commission and has articles in several national publications. 

Josh Garrick in front of 'The Little Jockey' -- recently accepted into the permanent collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Greece

Statement from the Consul General of Greece to New York City --

“Through the innovative use of a ground-breaking technique, J. Joshua Garrick re-introduces the works of classical Greek antiquity to a global audience. I feel certain that the love and respect reflected in the representations of the treasures he records and immortalizes will deeply move each and every visitor. Given my avowed admiration for the work and for him personally, I look forward to hosting this exhibit in New York City.”
                    Georgios Iliopoulos, Consul General

Mr. Garrick has achieved his ‘footnote in history’ as the first NON-Greek to present his Art in Greece’s leading Museum – the National Archaeological Museum. On April 10, Mr. Garrick will bring that ‘dream-fulfilled-exhibit’ to New York City to be presented by the Consulate General of Greece at 69 E 79th St, New York, NY 10075.  The exhibit is Free and open to the Public with visiting hours Monday through Friday from 9 am to 2:30 pm. Phone 212.988.5500

All photos courtesy and copyright Josh Garrick