Benaki Museum plans artwork auction after revenues plunge amid the pandemic

The prominent Benaki Museum in Athens is fighting for its survival as the four months of closure imposed as part of the measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic in Greece had led to a monthly loss of revenue totalling about 400,000 euros.

According to the museum's director of resources and development, Nikos Trivoulidis, if nothing changes in December, Benaki will lose a total of about 2 million euros in revenues.

"In this sense, like many other sectors of society, yes, we have a problem. We are facing this emergency," he said. "If this continues for a long time, there is a big risk."

The state contributes to the museum budget by 20% -25%, which can reach 30% with some emergency grants. The rest, however, comes from the activity of the museum - its shop, the sale of tickets, sponsorship activities - which, due to the pandemic, have suffered a massive...