The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has approved a grant to the Benaki Museum to fully cover the repair and restoration works as well as the cost of the necessary equipment for the Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor House in Kardamyli. This unique property will soon start operating as a centre for hosting notable figures from the intellectual and artistic worlds as well as a centre for educational activities in collaboration with Institutions in Greece and abroad.
In 1996, Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor bequeathed their home in Kardamyli to the Benaki Museum, while still in life, with the intention that ownership of the house would be transferred to the Museum after their deaths.
The Museum acquired full ownership of the property in the autumn of 2011 and considering the expressed desire of the donors, is preparing the operation of a centre (proposed title: The Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor Centre).
The operation of the centre will commence in stages and planning of the following years will be based on evaluation of its activity. The operations of the Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor Centre will include:
• hosting of young writers and scholars for work and research purposes,
• organisation of higher-educational activities in collaboration with Universities and Institutions in Greece and abroad, • honorary hosting of notable representatives from the fields of literature, the arts and other fields,
• organisation of educational and cultural events for the general public and residents of Kardamyli,
• scheduled tours of the property, focusing on the donors, the history of the house and its use by the Benaki Museum,
• short term honorary hosting of benefactors and major supporters of the Benaki Museum.
The Benaki Museum’s Board of Trustees would like to once again thank the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for its continued and very generous support, and the inclusion of this project in its arts and culture grants. The unique location of the Patrick Leigh Fermor House, its distinctive architectural form and the luminance bestowed upon it by the author himself, in conjunction with the Benaki Museum’s supervision and the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, guarantee the creation of an exceptional centre which will gain a high place among the many similar centres in Europe and the United States.
For more information about the house, press
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