The life of personal archives and their significance.

THE LIFE OF PERSONAL ARCHIVES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE. FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE: “NIKOS EGONOPOULOS ARCHIVE”.

Katerina Niagasa, Advertising & Public Relations, B.A. Department of Communication, Media and Culture – Panteion University

This article aims to enlighten the importance of the personal archives, of famous or anonymous people and also to understand the perspective of the heirs of these archives. After the death of the creators, usually family is in an awkward position as it is asked to make decisions about the fate of the files of their loved ones. For this reason, some important items are end up into inappropriate areas. It is desirable to point out that the personal archives, in particular those of artists, are a special cultural chapter. A good practice is the example of Nikos Engonopoulos’ daughter who donated her father’s personal archive to the School of Fine Arts in Athens as part of a program funded by H.F.R.I. that ends in December 2025.