An exhibition on Antigone Metaxa, the much-loved Aunt Lena of children in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. A legendary figure and the most important educator in Greece who gave the country and Greek children the “Children’s Theater”, the first permanent theater organization for children in Athens, writing and staging performances for children from 1933 to 1942. From 1939 to 1966 she also presented 4,500 radio shows for children broadcast by the National Broadcasting Corporation, the most popular of which were “Aunt Lena to little children” and “Good morning Children”. She also wrote 53 books (including the well-known children’s encyclopedia and the mythology encyclopedia) and was the first to present a series of vinyl records with fairytales and songs as well as the first television programs for children. In 1965 received a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Athens.

A lost key and a locked cabinet in Antigone’s family home by the sea, which was broken into by her granddaughter Maria Iliou during a visit to the house in 2015 were what led to this exhibition. The small cabinet revealed a treasure trove of lost photographs from her radio shows as well as pictures taken at various stages in her life. These images now form part of the exhibition, which also includes unknown material on her life and work from the 40s, 50s and 60s from her personal archive, organized by her daughter Lena Krontera, photographs from the Benaki Museum archive and her books.