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鈥 collection, with just over 70 pieces making their way to Univerisit茅 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 The acquisition of these items by the University allows for novel research of these unpublished materials.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鈥檚 symposium talks on April 5th, 2023, at 3:00pm. Other items from this collection housed at Queen鈥檚 can be found at the Department of Classics and Archaeology on the 5th floor of John Watson Hall (image below).
La famille Diniacopoulos est arriv茅e au Canada en 1951 apportant avec elle de nombreux art茅facts d鈥檜ne valeur inestimable.1 Olga et Vincent Diniacopoulos travaillaient 脿 Montr茅al restaurant et collectionnant des 艙uvres d鈥檃rt tout en retournanten Europe pour faire du commerce d鈥檃rt et acqu茅rir de nouveaux art茅facts.2 La collection comprenait un large 茅ventail d鈥檕bjets, venant de la M茅diterran茅e et au-del脿, lesquels dataient de l鈥橝ntiquit茅 au 20e si猫cle.3 Vincent est d茅c茅d茅 en 1967, ce qui a marqu茅 le d茅but de la lente dispersion de la collection Diniacopoulos avec un peu plus de 70 pi猫ces parties vers l鈥橴niversit茅 Laval l鈥檃nn茅e suivante.4 脌 la suite du d茅c猫s de leur fils, Dennis, en 1997, Olga a d茅cid茅 de laisser la gestion de sa collection 脿 l鈥橴niversit茅 Concordia. Avec leur aide, sa collection a 茅t茅 dispers茅e dans plusieurs collections priv茅es et mus茅es en Am茅rique du Nord et en Europe.5 Certaines de ces institutions internationales comprennent le British Museum, le Louvre, le Metropolitan Museum of Art, le Mus茅e royal de l鈥橭ntario, et le Mus茅e des beaux-arts de Montr茅al.6
Des objets de la collection Diniacopoulos ont 茅t茅 acquis par l鈥橴niversit茅 Queen鈥檚 en 2001. Les objets actuellement conserv茅s 脿 Queen鈥檚, dont l鈥櫭e date de l鈥櫭俫e du Bronze grec 脿 la chute de l鈥橢mpire romain, proviennent du bassin m茅diterran茅en. L鈥檃cquisition de ces art茅facts par Queen鈥檚 est un ajout important pour le d茅partement de restauration-conservation et histoire de l鈥檃rt et pour le d茅partement d鈥櫭﹖udes classiques et d鈥檃rch茅ologie. Des projets tels que le n么tre permettent aux 茅tudiant.e.s d鈥檌nteragir, d鈥檃nalyser, et d鈥櫭﹖udier des art茅facts originaux. L鈥檃cquisition de ces objets par l鈥檜niversit茅 permet de nouvelles recherches sur des mat茅riaux qui 脿 ce jour sont non-publi茅es. Six objets de cette collection seront expos茅s 脿 l鈥橦么tel de ville de Kingston du 5 avril 2023 au 5 avril 2024. Apprenez-en plus sur ces objets lors de l鈥檈xposition ainsi qu鈥櫭 la conf茅rence donn茅e par notre 茅quipe le 5 avril 2023 脿 15h00. D鈥檃utres objets de cette collection conserv茅s 脿 l鈥橴niversit茅 Queen鈥檚 se trouvent au d茅partement d鈥櫭﹖udes classiques et d鈥檃rch茅ologie situ茅 au 5颈猫尘别 茅tage du John Watson Hall (image ci-dessous).
Image Caption. Exhibition case of artifacts from the Diniacopoulos Collection housed on the 5th floor of John Watson Hall.
尝茅驳别苍诲别.&苍产蝉辫;Vitrine d鈥檈xposition des art茅facts de la collection Diniacopoulos conserv茅e au 5颈猫尘别 茅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, 鈥淎 Timeless Classic: The story of the Diniacopoulos Family Collection鈥 in The Diniacopoulos Collection in Quebec: Greek and Roman Antiquities, edited by J.M. Fossey and Francis J.E. Montreal: Muse虂e des beaux-arts de Montre虂al, pp.17-26.
