“It is very painful to lose Despina Gerulana, a friend, an active woman who charmed her interlocutor with her education, kindness and intelligence,” said the Minister of Culture and Sports. Lina Mendoni for the sudden loss of Despina Gerulana, a woman who connected her life with the Benaki Museum, a descendant of Benakis, daughter of Marinos Gerulana and Emilia Gerulana-Kalligi, granddaughter of Antonis Benakis.

Despina Gerulanou was the President of the Board of Directors. organization “Elefsina 2023 – European Capital of Culture”. Shortly before Easter, he contracted a respiratory infection and finally passed away today.

Born in Athens, he studied at the School of Philosophy of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and at the Karolos Koun Art Theater School. He has worked in theater and cinema with Dimitris Horn, Nikos Panagiotopoulos and others. She attended drawing, sculpture and jewelery classes in Paris, and in 1992 she presented her first solo jewelery exhibition in Athens. Other individual and group exhibitions followed.

Since 1994, she has been in charge of sales at the Benaki Museum, refurbishing the shops in the old Museum building and opening three new ones, while at the same time designing objects and promotional materials for all sales.

He has curated exhibitions and events in applied arts and design, including the “Search in Material” and “Showcase to Crisotu” series. The artist proposes”, highlighting the important representatives of the applied arts and design in Greece.

He was a member of the Administrative Committee of the Benaki Museum and the Greek representative on the Cultural Council of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Skill.

Mendoni: “We have to say a big thank you to her for everything she has achieved”

“It is truly painful to lose Despina Gerulana, a friend, an active woman who captivated her interlocutor with her education, kindness and intelligence.

Despoina has honored her great family tradition as a descendant of the Benaki family and has embraced culture in many activities and positions, always with passion, drive, new ideas, ingenuity and efficiency.

Her studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the AVT and the Art Theater, courses in painting, sculpture and jewelry art further expanded the horizons that she acquired, growing up in an environment where literature, art, love of collections and traditions, have always played a central role.

Her contribution to the exhibition program of the Benaki Museum, in terms of how the design of the exhibitions has been updated, has been decisive. She showed the generosity that characterized her as a person by taking the extremely difficult position, the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors. European Capital of Culture and did everything possible so that Elefsina could meet the requirements of the institution.

He worked hard, faced problems and challenges, offered solutions. I will never forget our partnership. We owe her a big thank you for everything she has done. I thank her for her friendship and for everything she has offered us. Deepest condolences to her family, Emilia, Pavlos, Irina, Marina and her many friends.”

Iatromanolakis: “He left so prematurely, leaving behind a huge void”

“It is with great sadness that we have to say goodbye to Despina today. Creative, dynamic, funny, hyperactive, charming Despina, who didn’t hesitate for a moment to say yes to the huge challenge of the Elefsina Capital of Culture, who always put the Benaki Museum, Culture, her friends before her health.

Despina was a force of nature, and this makes it even more unimaginable that she died so prematurely, leaving behind a huge void, ”says, for her part, the Deputy Minister of Culture. Nicholas Giatromanolakisexpressing my deepest condolences to her family and all friends. And concludes: “It was an honor to work with her.”