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OBITUARIES |
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Obituaries |
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| Born in Larnaca, Cyprus, in 1938 Dinos Leventis was educated at Harrow, where he won a scholarship to pursue his studies in classics at Clare College, Cambridge. From 1955 to 1977 he lived in West Africa (Ghana and Nigeria) where he joined the business of his uncle, Anastasios G. Leventis (1902-1978). In co-operation with his brothers and cousins, Dinos Leventis succeeded in expanding the firm's commercial activities and turning it into one of the most impressive international business groups. |
Constantine Leventis |
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His business acumen, combined with a love for all things cultural, and above all the antiquities of Greece and Cyprus, made him in many respects unique. Under his guidance The A.G. Leventis Foundation was responsible for the restoration and preservation of cultural heritage in Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria, ranging from Bronze Age settlements, through Classical, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine monuments to nineteenth-century historical buildings. He made generous donations to the British Museum, the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, the Denmark National Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum for the creation of new galleries to display their Cypriot antiquities. Both as UNESCO Ambassador of Cyprus since 1977 and as Chairman of the A.G. Leventis Foundation from 1980, Dinos Leventis worked indefatigably for the preservation of the Cypriot heritage. He was instrumental in the recovery of the sixth-century Kanakaria mosaics looted after the Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus in 1974, which court case established the precedent for the return of antiquities unlawfully removed. He purchased archaeological objects smuggled out of the occupied territories and provided Nicosia with a splendid municipal museum to house them. As a Council Member and Treasurer of Europa Nostra, and in co-operation with the Greek Society for the Conservation of the Environment and Cultural Heritage, he proved a generous supporter. His concern for the environment is also reflected in his establishment of scholarships and his support of agricultural schools and extensive agricultural and ecological programmes in Nigeria and Ghana. His presence and contribution was felt especially through the establishment of the Hellenic Centre (1994) to gather all Greek societies under one roof. Since then the Centre became the focal point of most Greek cultural activities in London. A generous patron to the Hellenic Institute at Royal Holloway, University of London and to the Centre for Hellenic Studies at King's College London, Dinos Leventis sponsored academic posts and various activities, such as lectures, colloquia, conferences, exhibitions and most importantly a large number of scholarships and grants to students, researchers and teachers pursuing Greek studies. A profoundly religious man, he offered his unswerving support to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Under his leadership, The A.G. Leventis Foundation, was also involved internationally in a wide range of educational, cultural and philanthropic activities. The list, far too long to enumerate here - and perhaps some of his benefactions will never be known - testifies his profound concern for culture, but above all his philanthropia, love for mankind. His astuteness and magnanimity is also illustrated by his efforts to bring a rapprochement between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots through the 'Friends of Cyprus', the British Parliamentary Group. In recognition of his distinguished contribution he was honoured with the Order of the Phoenix by Greece, Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et les Lettres by France, Archon Orphanotrophos by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Silver Medal of the Academy of Athens, an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Ghana, and many other honours by Greek and foreign Institutions. His death, on 11 July 2002, left a feeling of great loss of a friend and generous patron of Hellenism in Britain and abroad. He will be remembered for his unassuming, kind and gentle nature, his modesty and integrity, his culture and his great generosity. He is survived by his wife, Edmée (née Vasileiades), his daughter Louisa, and his two sons, Anastasios and George. His work will now be carried on by the members of his family. To Mrs Edmée Leventis, who shared her husband's vision in all his activities, and now a worthy successor of her husband as UNESCO Ambassador for Cyprus, we wish strength to continue his work.
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