The Benaki Museum, one of Athens' premier museums, is highly recommended. It was established in 1931 by nobleman Antonis Benakis, who lived from 1873 to 1954. The older, central building is one of Athens' most impressive neoclassical structures, and it is located on Koumbari Street in Kolonaki. It was constructed between 1910 and 1931 in phases. Formerly Antonis Benakis' home, it now holds over 45,000 museum items from his collection and those of other contributors, which are arranged into six collections.
This group of collections, which spans several categories and more than 40,000 objects, depicts the character of the Greek world through a chronological panorama: from ancient times and the age of Roman dominance to the centuries of Frankish and Ottoman occupation and the medieval Byzantine period; from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the beginning of the struggle for independence in 1821; and from the establishment of the modern state of Greece in 1830 down to 1922.
The Byzantine collection connects the ancient and contemporary Greek worlds. Although it is divided into two sections, the collection is incredibly rich even though it does not encompass all the various aesthetic currents and inclinations that existed during the 1,000-year Byzantine Empire. The first category consists of household and religious objects made of silver and bronze, as well as miniature ceramic sculptures, manuscripts, enamels, and other items, many of which are of exceptionally high quality and craftsmanship.
The second category consists of Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, which allow the development and evolution of iconography from the Byzantine era and the Palaeologan renaissance in the workshops of Crete and the artistic output of Mount Athos to the initial stages of the modern Greek painting tradition to be traced.
From the end of the 18th century onward, the historical artifact collection reconstructs the history of contemporary Greece. Many of the items in the collection are family heirlooms that have been contributed by the ancestors and family members of people who have a close connection to the history of contemporary Greece.
The Philhellenic movement, the fight for Greek independence, as well as Ioannis Kapodistrias' attempts to establish a modern Greek state from 1828 to 1831 are some of the more significant topics covered in this collection. Others are from the reigns of King George I (1863–1913) and King Othon (1833–1862).
You can see some of the magnificent neoclassical buildings in the city at this Benaki museum Athens.
Koumpari 1, Athens, Greece