Greek museum holds photo exhibition on Korean War era

The National Historical Museum of Greece has held a photography exhibition at the War Memorial of Korea to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War since December last year.

The event, scheduled to run until February, was launched at the invitation of the Greek Embassy in Seoul, with support from the Greek Ministry of National Defense.

Titled “70 Years of Friendship,” the exhibition illuminates Greece during the 1950s through the lens of American philhellene Robert McCabe’s evocative photographs. This period also marked Greece’s engagement in the Korean War with a formidable expeditionary force and air squadron amid the nation’s recovery from the ravages of World War II, Nazi occupation and a civil war.

The exhibition endeavors to forge a deeper connection between two nations geographically distant yet unexpectedly intertwined during a pivotal moment in global history. Central to the exhibit are approximately 65 large-scale photographs captured by McCabe during his formative years as a student.

The exhibition’s first segment serves as an introduction to modern Greece for Korean audiences, featuring a historical overview and chronological timeline elucidating Greece’s decision to participate in a distant conflict.

McCabe’s monochromatic snapshots of Greece’s landscapes and archaeological wonders form the cornerstone of this section, complemented by archival photographs from the National Historical Museum depicting the Greek military’s contributions to the Korean War. The display further includes artifacts such as photo albums and military insignia, loaned primarily from the Panhellenic Association of Korean War Veterans.

The second segment of the exhibition showcases McCabe’s blackand-white and color photographs from the 1950s, offering a glimpse into the resilience and optimism of Greek life during that tumultuous era. Through McCabe’s lens, viewers gain insight into the intricate interplay between tradition and modernity as Greeks navigated the transition.

Born in Chicago in 1934, Robert McCabe’s passion for photography blossomed early, influenced by his father’s role as the publisher of one of New York’s pioneering illustrated newspapers. His inaugural journey to Greece in 1954, at the age of 20, marked the beginning of a lifelong affinity for the country.

Courtesy of Embassy of Greece in Seoul Robert McCabe’s black-and-white photograph of Athens, Greece, from the 1950s.