Lost Aegean: Rare 1950s–70s photos reveal Greece before tourism
A new photography exhibition on the Greek island of Paros offers a rare glimpse into the past. Titled Memories from the Aegean, the show features 82 images taken between the 1950s and late 1970s. These black-and-white photographs reveal daily life on the Aegean islands long before mass tourism transformed them.
The exhibition is the work of American photographer Robert McCabe, born in 1934 in Chicago and raised in Rye, New York. His connection to Greece began in 1954, when he first visited as a Princeton University student. That trip shaped his career, leading to decades of documenting the region.
Over the years, McCabe captured around 40 Greek islands, focusing on those least touched by tourism, such as Folegandros, Kythnos, Anafi and Kastellorizo. In 1957, his images appeared in *National Geographic* after extensive travels across the Aegean. His work has since been displayed in major institutions, including the Acropolis Museum and the Benaki Museum. The current show, curated in collaboration with Costas Vidakis, runs from July 15 to September 30 at the Porto Aoussa art space in Naoussa, Paros. It follows another recent exhibition of McCabe's work, *Delphi in the 1950s through the Lens of Robert McCabe*, held at the Athens Art Gallery in January 2026. The photographs on display highlight everyday moments and striking landscapes, from Mykonos to Santorini. They preserve a way of life that has largely disappeared under modern development.
The Memories from the Aegean exhibition remains open until the end of September. Visitors can explore a visual record of island culture before tourism reshaped the region. McCabe's images continue to provide a historical perspective on a rapidly changing part of the world.
