Faithful Athena, who grew up in a house with the descendants of Antonis Benakis, where literature and art, archeology and faith in tradition were an integral part of the life of the house and its inhabitants.

Despina Gerulanou passed away today, Tuesday, after being admitted to the intensive care unit of an Athens hospital due to a lung disease.

He studied at the Philosophical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and at the School of Drama of the Greek Artistic Theater (Art Theatre) Karolos Koun. She worked in theater and film from 1983 to 1990. She also attended courses in painting, sculpture and jewelry in Paris, and in 1992 organized her first solo jewelry exhibition in Athens. This was followed by individual and group exhibitions.

Since 1994, she has been director of the Benaki Museum Galleries, reorganized the museum’s first store and opened four new spaces to promote and support traditional and contemporary applied arts and design. He has edited various exhibitions and events in these areas. Among them are the series “Search for Material” and “Showcase Kriezotou 3”, dedicated to important representatives of applied art and design. Today, he is 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 Craftsmanship.

She connected her life with the Benaki Museum and the preservation of Greek treasures as proof of the continuity of the greatness of Greece and its history. Her Byzantine mother, the granddaughter of Antonis Benakis, was also the first to organize the first educational programs at the Benakis Museum and Photo Archive.

Last year he was chairman of the board of directors. organization “Elefsina 2023 – European Capital of Culture”.