There are many fields-specific museums in Thessaloniki. The city offers places to go for both archaeological findings and photography enthusiasts. The Museum of Photography is one of them. It nestles within the central area of Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki Museum of Photography is the favorite place for all fans of photography. It is the only state museum of its kind in the country. It is supervised by the Hellenic Ministry of Education. The building welcomed the first visitors in 1998. During the last years, its activity was mainly related to digitizing. Under the program, people have access to the electronic copies of the rich archival collection.
This establishment comes with an important mission. It regularly houses the exhibitions of the MOMus Museum collections and archives, the items of which were bought and provided by the artists. The museum also arranges the Thessaloniki PhotoBiennale events, various master-classes, and educational programs. Moreover, it publishes thematic books to promote the art of photography. The museum’s collection does not consist of the photographic objects made by the Greek photographers only. Here, you can admire the works of Asian, American, and European artists.
The museum’s photo collections and archives comprise over 100.000 pictures, negatives, and glass plates. They belong to different periods of time, since 1890 up till nowadays. The notable archives in the building’s item collection include the works made by the legendary Greek artists: Dimitris Letsios, Nelly’s, and Costas Balafas. Most of their photos are available in the digitized version. The rest of them wait for their turn. The permanent exhibition includes only a small part of the rich MOMus Thessaloniki heritage.
The archives made by Fred Boissonnas are of great value for the fans of the photographic art. This artist spent 30 years of his life to taking photos in Greece. These works are considered to be innovative for its time. They had a significant influence on the followers of Boissonnas. The museum is a great place to visit several times a year. Each time, you can learn something new there since the exhibitions constantly change each other. Thus, they provide a terrific opportunity to familiarize themselves with different thematic collections. They range from the old portraits of Thessaloniki residents up to the archives dedicated to migration crises.
The Museum of Photography is the exhibition space you can easily navigate within. It is a small museum which often changes its exposition. Thus, it will take you about an hour to familiarize yourself with it. A lot of visitors mention that the museum has got polite staff members. They will gladly answer all your questions and provide the most exciting facts related to the currently held exhibition.
The Museum of Photography in Thessaloniki is easy to find. It occupies the building of the port warehouse (Warehouse A), which dates back to 1910. You can easily find it while enjoying a stroll along the promenade. If you are about to start at the White Tower, then you should move along Leoforos Nikis to the right, in the direction of the port. The distance between the tower and the museum is a little less than 2 kilometers. It will take you only 5 minutes to get to the museum from Aristotelous Square.