Mr Byzantoine et son amis: Antonis Benakis and early exhibitions in Alexandria

Since the mid-19th century art collectors in Europe were increasingly interested in Islamic art. The first scholars were a closed circle of museum curators, artists, antique dealers and enthusiastic art lovers who wanted to enrich their collections. Some traveled to the Middle East in search of treasures while others, such as the Europeans who lived and worked in Egypt, took advantage of every opportunity around them to enrich their collections. This paper focuses on the collectors of Alexandria and the activities of Antonis Benakis and his good friend Christoforos Nomikos. Both played a fundamental role in the cultural life of Alexandria and they were the driving force behind the Les Amis de l’Art d’Alexandrie. The society organized three exhibitions between the years 1924-1926 that reflect the varied interests and collective habits of the 1920’s. The first exhibition was dedicated to the Russian artist Ivan Bilibin who lived and worked in Egypt with his wife, the ceramicist Aleksandra Shchekotikhina-Pototskaya. In 1925, the first exhibition on Islamic art took place in Egypt to the standards of corresponding exhibitions in London and Paris. The aim was to present to the general public rare works of art from the collections of the members of the society. The third exhibition in 1926 combined Chinese ceramics with embroideries from different regions. After that Antonis Benakis moves to Athens and continued to play an important role in the cultural life of Greece culminating in the opening of the Benaki Museum in 1931.