Other Publications

One way in which the Latsis Foundation and the Latsis Group of companies have expressed their constant interest in the arts is by subsidising the publication of books.

John Latsis, having an intense entrepreneurial activity in the Arab World, had always been an eager supporter of the Arab-Greek friendship. The evidence of this spirit was also his initiative in 1978 to fund the publication of the "Holy Koran" in Greek and Arabic, translated by Nikos Paraskevas. In 1987 it was decided to re-publish the Holy Book, assigning the project to a committee of Arab and Greek scientists. In 2009, modern technology facilitated the Holy Koran’s digitization.

The second publication was the book "Greek Marine Painting" in 1993, written by Manolis Vlachos and issued by Olkos Publications. This edition, after a brief overview of seascapes from antiquity to the 19th century, presents and classifies the most important works by Greek painters of the 19th and 20th centuries. Without seeking to provide a strict historical record, the book attempts to establish the depiction of the sea as a means of artistic expression.

Additionally in 1993, the Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Albanians of Greek Descent co-funded the publication of the first contemporary "Greek-Albanian Dictionary", from the University of Ioannina. The author was N. Ginis, Albanian of Greek descent, who was professor of Greek Language at the University of Tirana.
 
The following year, in 1994, Olkos Publications issued a special edition on the French painter "Lοuis Dupré", also written by Manolis Vlachos. This publication seeks to present the neo-classical painter, primarily through his artistic and literary work entitled "Voyage to Athens and Constantinople", which encapsulates most of the themes that dominated his artistic work. The reader witnesses the French Philhellenism that inspired the paintings and narrative of the artist, who, by taking Greek antiquity as his model, portrays in a unique way the impressions derived from his visit to Greece in 1819.

In 1995, Nelli Missirli provided the text for the monogram "Nikolaos Gyzis", published by Adam Publications. This was a special edition exploring the multifaceted artistic personality of Nikolaos Gyzis, the great painter of the Munich School, while also seeking to display the greater part of his artistic production as well as to associate it with that of his fellow artists during the same period.

The collection of post-Byzantine icons titled "After Byzantium: The Survival of Byzantine Art" was published in 1996 and includes icons from an important private collection. The edition does not seek to provide a synopsis of the Post-Byzantine religious period, but, nevertheless, it depicts characteristic samples of an important period in Orthodox religious art, during which Byzantine art played a crucial role in what is labelled today "European civilisation".

In 1998, in a new collaboration with the University of Ioannina, the endeavor that had started in 1993 was completed by publishing the "Albanian-Greek Dictionary". The author was professor N. Ginis. In the introduction the Presidents of the Republic of Greece and Albania, Stefanopoulos and Meidani respectively, welcome the publication.

The millennium change was paired with an edition dedicated to an art conceived in Greece, the Theatre. The book by Vassilis Fotopoulos, "100 Years National Theatre", takes the reader on a tour through time and the accomplishments of Greek theatre from the "Royal Theatre" of 1901 to the contemporary Greek theatrical stage. The history of the National Theatre in the 20th century unfolds through the rich photographic material, recording the most important moments of an institution that continues to stimulate the nation΄s most creative forces.

Copyright Notice: Τhe editions dedicated to archaeological museums that are presented on this webpage include photographs of exhibits of archaeological museums, as well as photographs of archaeological sites and monuments. The Hellenic Ministry of Culture has the copyright of the antiquities that comprise the visual content of the photographs, as well as of all photographs included in the editions presented on this webpage, with the exemption of the exhibits and the photographs included in the edition dedicated to the Benaki Museum. The Archaeological Receipts Fund of Greece receives all fees for the publication of photographs that have the Ministry’s copyright (Law 3028/2002).