MELINA: Posters of the Films of the Beloved Star of the Greek Silver Screen
6 - 28 November 2002
Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art

"Melina Travels The World" could have been an alternative title for this exhibition, jointly curated by the 43rd International Thessaloniki Film Festival and the Macedonian Museum of Modern Art for 6 - 28 November 2002 in Thessaloniki.

Over 200 posters of films starring Melina Mercouri will be exhibited for the first time in Greece, providing the public with a unique opportunity to see the legendary figure of Greek cinema in a way she has not been previously seen as all the posters of the exhibition originate from countries other than Greece and have been designed by artists who have left their mark in the history of engraving.

The exhibition features posters from Mexico, Japan, Spain, Argentina, Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, Australia, Rumania, Italy by renown artists such as Bakirtzis, Olivetti, Jano, Macii, Nistri, Yves Thos, Deseta, Nano, Biffignandi, Freidenreich, Atelier Degen and others. The posters bring to life a new Melina Mercouri, shedding light and new dimensions on the roles the greatest star of Greek cinema embodied, highlighting yet again her international allure and charm.

The posters have been sourced from the private collection of Giorgou Pilichou, who has not only kindly loaned the posters to make the exhibition possible, but also revealed the history of the collection.

"These insignificant posters, these invaluable bits of nothing, which when a film's season ended, nobody paid any attention to, ceased for me to be meaningless bits of paper, when one day at the flea market of Constantinople someone gave me the poster of Melina's film "Faedra". It was March 1999. This is when the obsession was borne and I started the collection. I was able to source and acquire the posters of almost all of the Greek films that screened internationally and also those posters of foreign films that starred or featured Greek actors. That part of the collection that has Melina as the key subject, is presented separately. I believe that the subtle charm of these posters shall touch all those who will take the time to view them. I would like to thank the Melina Mercouri Institute, the International Thessaloniki Film Festival and the Macedonian Museum of Modern Art, for making this important exhibition possible."