George Manginis, Academic Director of the Benaki Museum, describes how his view of Greece has been shaped by a lifetime lived “from the outside,” through the lenses of the West, the “Middle East,” and the “Far East.” He refers to a melancholic painting in the Benaki Museum probably depicting Ioannis Kapodistrias and presents him as a visionary statesman who sought to reform the country and was ultimately assassinated. For Manginis, the image functions as a form of moral vindication for Kapodistrias.

He also shares his idea for an exhibition and a book dedicated to the postwar philhellene designer Terence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings, who, in collaboration with Eleftherios Saridis, created in Greece a renowned series of furniture inspired by Antiquity.

He concludes by reflecting on the enduring idea of philhellenism, from Hadrian to contemporary figures, such as Stephen Fry and Victoria Hislop, and recommends the book Philhellenes by Jimmy Jamar as a wonderful introduction to the continuing love for Greece.