MENTIS – ANTONOPOULOS (‘ΝΕΜΑ΄) PASSEMENTERIE

The first step towards the creation of ‘NEMA’ was taken in 2012 with the rescue of ‘Mentis’ Passementerie from oblivion. The business was founded in 1867 in Nafplio but soon after moved to Athens in order to cater for the needs of its main clients, the Royal Court and the Palace Guard. The original workshop on Kerykeiou Street in Monastiraki included a silk workshop, a weaving facility and a dye house whereas a separate silk cocoon incubation house was located in the area of Mets. In 2011 the business closed and its equipment was donated to the Benaki Museum by Marina, Othon and Spyros Mentis. The workshop at 6 Polyfemou Street was refurbished with the kind support of Lia Martinou and opened again in December 2012.

In 2014 the Benaki Museum welcomed another donation, of the Georgios Antonopoulos family manufactory, kindly offered by his wife Rika and daughter Zoe Antonopoulou. The ‘Georgios Koutroumbis, Gerasimos Antonopoulos (successor) and Son’ silk manufactory was founded by Panagiotis Svolopoulos in 1840 on Thermopylae Street in the Kerameikos area of Athens. The business was later passed to the founder’s nephew G. Koutroumbis and the workshop was moved to Spyrou Patsi Street in Votanikos whereas a saleroom operated on 1 Skopa Street. Between 1993 and 2000 (when it closed), the business was headed by Georgios Antonopoulos. Thanks to the kind support of the Kostas, Penny and Kallissa Apostolidis family, the Benaki Museum was able to refurbish a new space on 10 Polyfemou Street as well as the original space on no 6 so that the new donation was housed. It includes the complete archive of the business, many products and its entire equipment, among which two rare Jacquard looms. The collection was inventoried and researched by the Head of ‘NEMA,’ ethnologist Virginia Matseli.

‘NEMA’ has developed into a centre for preserving traditional techniques of thread manufacture, weaving and embroidery. To this end, the Benaki Museum Education department works with specialist craftspeople and offers lifelong-learning courses focusing on these traditional techniques. The Benaki Museum Shop, in an effort to marry old expertise and contemporary creativity, works with artists using raw materials from ‘NEMA’ for their creations. Their works are offered for sale at the various Benaki Shop outlets.