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​The Diniacopoulos Collection - La collection Diniacopoulos

The Diniacopoulos family arrived in Canada in 1951, bringing with them numerous priceless artifacts.1 Olga and Vincent Dinacopoulos worked in Montreal restoring and collecting art, while continuing to return to Europe to deal in art and acquire new artifacts.2 The collection included a wide range of objects from the Mediterranean and beyond, with dates extending from antiquity to the 20th century.3 Vincent passed away in 1967, marking the beginning of the slow dispersion of the Diniacopoulos’ collection, with just over 70 pieces making their way to UniverisitĂ© Laval the following year.4 Following the death of her son, Dennis, in 1997, Olga decided to leave the management of her collection to Concordia University. With their help her collection was dispersed to several private collections, and museums in North America and Europe.5 Some of these international institutions include the British Museum, the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.6

Items from the Diniacopoulos collection were acquired by Queens in 2001. The objects now at Queen’s come from throughout the Mediterranean, with dates spanning from the Greek Bronze Age to the late Roman Periods. The acquisition of these artifacts by Queen’s is an important addition to both the department of Art Conservation and Art History, and the department of Classics and Archaeology. Projects such as ours allow for student interaction, analysis and study of original artifacts. The acquisition of these items by the University allows for novel research of these unpublished materials. Six items from this collection are to be exhibited at Kingston city hall from April 5th, 2023-April 5th, 2024. Learn more about these items at the exhibition and through our team’s symposium talks on April 5th, 2023, at 3:00pm. Other items from this collection housed at Queen’s can be found at the Department of Classics and Archaeology on the 5th floor of John Watson Hall (image below). 

La famille Diniacopoulos est arrivĂ©e au Canada en 1951 apportant avec elle de nombreux artĂ©facts d’une valeur inestimable.1 Olga et Vincent Diniacopoulos travaillaient Ă  MontrĂ©al restaurant et collectionnant des Ɠuvres d’art tout en retournanten Europe pour faire du commerce d’art et acquĂ©rir de nouveaux artĂ©facts.2 La collection comprenait un large Ă©ventail d’objets, venant de la MĂ©diterranĂ©e et au-delĂ , lesquels dataient de l’AntiquitĂ© au 20e siĂšcle.3 Vincent est dĂ©cĂ©dĂ© en 1967, ce qui a marquĂ© le dĂ©but de la lente dispersion de la collection Diniacopoulos avec un peu plus de 70 piĂšces parties vers l’UniversitĂ© Laval l’annĂ©e suivante.4 À la suite du dĂ©cĂšs de leur fils, Dennis, en 1997, Olga a dĂ©cidĂ© de laisser la gestion de sa collection Ă  l’UniversitĂ© Concordia. Avec leur aide, sa collection a Ă©tĂ© dispersĂ©e dans plusieurs collections privĂ©es et musĂ©es en AmĂ©rique du Nord et en Europe.5 Certaines de ces institutions internationales comprennent le British Museum, le Louvre, le Metropolitan Museum of Art, le MusĂ©e royal de l’Ontario, et le MusĂ©e des beaux-arts de MontrĂ©al.6

Des objets de la collection Diniacopoulos ont Ă©tĂ© acquis par l’UniversitĂ© Queen’s en 2001. Les objets actuellement conservĂ©s Ă  Queen’s, dont l’ñge date de l’Âge du Bronze grec Ă  la chute de l’Empire romain, proviennent du bassin mĂ©diterranĂ©en. L’acquisition de ces artĂ©facts par Queen’s est un ajout important pour le dĂ©partement de restauration-conservation et histoire de l’art et pour le dĂ©partement d’études classiques et d’archĂ©ologie. Des projets tels que le nĂŽtre permettent aux Ă©tudiant.e.s d’interagir, d’analyser, et d’étudier des artĂ©facts originaux. L’acquisition de ces objets par l’universitĂ© permet de nouvelles recherches sur des matĂ©riaux qui Ă  ce jour sont non-publiĂ©es. Six objets de cette collection seront exposĂ©s Ă  l’HĂŽtel de ville de Kingston du 5 avril 2023 au 5 avril 2024. Apprenez-en plus sur ces objets lors de l’exposition ainsi qu’à la confĂ©rence donnĂ©e par notre Ă©quipe le 5 avril 2023 Ă  15h00. D’autres objets de cette collection conservĂ©s Ă  l’UniversitĂ© Queen’s se trouvent au dĂ©partement d’études classiques et d’archĂ©ologie situĂ© au 5Ÿ±ĂšłŸ±đ Ă©tage du John Watson Hall (image ci-dessous).

Collection at John Watson Hall

Image Caption. Exhibition case of artifacts from the Diniacopoulos Collection housed on the 5th floor of John Watson Hall. 

łąĂ©Č”±đČÔ»ć±đ.&ČÔČúČő±è;Vitrine d’exposition des artĂ©facts de la collection Diniacopoulos conservĂ©e au 5Ÿ±ĂšłŸ±đ Ă©tage du John Watson Hall.

 

1 Epstein 2004: 19; Blumer 2017: 21-2.

2 Blumer 2017: 15.  

3 Epstein 2004: 19. 

4 Epstein 2004: 26-7.  

5 Blumer 2017: 54.

6 Blumer 2017: 53-4.

Sources

Blumer, Nadine. 2017, Finding Home: The Diniacopoulos Family and Collection. Montreal: Concordia University. 

Epstein, Clarence. 2004, “A Timeless Classic: The story of the Diniacopoulos Family Collection” in The Diniacopoulos Collection in Quebec: Greek and Roman Antiquities, edited by J.M. Fossey and Francis J.E. Montreal: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, pp.17-26.

Logos for sponsors: SSHRC, City of Kingston, and »ÆÉ«ÊÓÆ”, Bader Philanthropies, The Jarislowsky Foundation