Upgrade your browser to access this website
Shipping Today & Yesterday is a specialist magazine for the shipping enthusiast offering up-to-date information, topical and in-depth historical articles.
Click here to learn how to upgrade your web browser.
Greek Shipowners of Andros
The Goulandris, Embiricos and Polemis Families
The very beautiful island of Andros in the Aegean is the northern most of the Cyclades Group of islands and the second largest, after Naxos, with a width of 40 kilometres at its widest point and a length of 17 kilometres at its longest. The main port of the island is Gavrio with frequent ferry connections to Piraeus. The island is home to three shipping families, all operating huge fleets that were in the top ten of Greek shipping companies at some point during their long existence. The families are the Embiricos, Goulandris and Polemis families.
GOULANDRIS FAMILY OF ANDROS SHIPOWNERS
Basil J. Goulandris was born on Andros in 1886 as one of five sons of Andriot shipowner John P. Goulandris, and served as a seafarer on his family sailing ships and steamers until in 1909 at the age of 23 years he obtained his Master’s ticket and commanded one of the first family steam tramps, continuing in command during World War I. After the war, together with his brothers Peter, Michael, Nikolaos and Leonidas he founded the big fleet of Goulandris Brothers Ltd. with offices in Piraeus and London. Seven tramps were traded in 1932 named Euthalia, Theomitor, Frangoula B. Goulandris, George J. Goulandris, Ioannis P. Goulandris, Marionga J. Goulandris and Violando N. Goulandri. The oldest of this septet was built back in 1898, while the newest were ‘War’ ‘A’ standard ships built in 1918 and 1919.
A large fleet of Goulandris Brothers Ltd. slow steaming steam tramps was decimated by the wolf packs of U-boats during World War II, and Basil, Nikolaos and Leonidas purchased war standard tramps to rebuild their shattered fleet, and traded them on Transatlantic routes to a large degree to Canada, where new businesses were set up by his son John, who had moved to live there. Greek Line had been set up in 1939 by Vassilis Goulandris, son of Peter J. Goulandris and Chrysa Dambassi, and his four brothers to operate the passenger liner New Hellas of 16,991 grt, built in 1922 as Tuscania for Anchor Line and later renamed New York, as a troopship on worldwide Allied convoys. Three further liners were used on the Transatlantic route from Greece to New York after the end of the war, named Katoomba (later Columbia), Neptunia and Canberra.
Leonidas Goulandris, brother of Basil J. Goulandris purchased Greek Line in 1952, and immediately ordered a new passenger liner to be named Olympia for delivery in 1953.
Subscribe today to read the full article!
Simply click below to subscribe and not only read the full article instantly, but gain unparalleled access to the specialist magazine for shipping enthusiasts.
Sorry, comments are closed for this item
Sign up for our newsletter
Get updates on what’s in Shipping T&Y straight to your inbox!
All Categories
Andros - home to three shipping families, Embiricos, Goulandris and Polemis families. Featured here.
Related articles
The Story of Light Vessel 81
The shipping forecast.
The Jaunty little Metcalf Motor Coasters
- Privacy Overview
- Strictly Necessary Cookies
- 3rd Party Cookies
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
These cookies enable extended functionality on our websites which allow you to sign up for, and manage your account with Warships IFR as well as save your cookie preferences.
These cookies are not loaded onto your machine until you a) create an account with us, or b) engage with this cookie banner to make your preferences known.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Google analytics cookies have a maximum lifetime of 2 years on your machine.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!
February 21, 2013
Greek billionaire shipping magnate, Basil Goulandris died in 1994. His wife died in 2000. The couple owned a large billion-dollar worthy collection of art that was kept in their Alpine chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland. Bloomberg News reports that one of Goulandris’ heirs, Aspasia Zaimis, is seeking to recover parts of the Goulandris collection that were sold in 1985, which at one time contained works by Picasso, Monet, Degas and Cezanne. Although the sale took place when both Mr. and Mrs. Goulandris were still alive, claimant has been quoted as saying “I believe with all my heart that the paintings were part of my inheritance.” Zaimis is a legatee under Elisa Goulandris’s will. Another beneficiary of the same will is the Elisa Goulandris Foundation, now under an investigation by the Swiss authorities.
The account of the allegations reads like fiction: a Greek heiress, masterworks sold to a Panamanian company, a cyphered will, an art historian/executor of the will suspect of falsifying titles of ownership, Swiss privacy laws, a death on a yacht, etc.
Claimant is represented by Ron Soffer of Soffer Avocats in Paris. One of the defendants is represented by Jean- Christophe Diserens of Etude Villa Olivier in Lausanne.
To learn more details about the Goulandris mystery, read “ Greek Heiress Suis After Chalet’s Picassos, Monets Vanish .”
Sources: Bloomberg News ; The Independent . Image: Vincent Van Gogh’s “Still Life: Coffee Pot” from Basil and Elise Goulandris collection.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to provide legal advice. Readers should not construe or rely on any comment or statement in this article as legal advice. For legal advice, readers should seek a consultation with an attorney.
Related Posts
Art Hygiene Law: Artists Who Use Unusual Materials and Viewers Who “Take In” The Art
Ethical Considerations for Attorneys When Working with Artist and Art-market Participants
Litigation v. Artful Resolution: Using ADR Methods to Resolve Art-Related Disputes
Become a member.
Since 2009, the Center for Art Law has organized hundreds of events and published over 1,200 relevant, accessible, and editorially independent articles. As a nonprofit working with artists and students, the Center for Art Law relies on your support to fund our work. Become a premium subscriber and gain access to discounts on events and archives of articles and/or hundreds of case summaries, intended for a worldwide audience of legal professionals, artists, researchers, and students.
ACCENT DELIGHT INTERNATIONAL LTD. v. SOTHEBY'S, No. 18-CV-9011 (JMF) (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 30, 2024).
Case Law Corner
Read case law summaries and enjoy unlimited access to our legendary Case Law Corner, now in a new and improved Database with over 700 entries.
Artist & Student Membership
- Access to all articles and past-event recordings
- Access to our Case Law Database
- Free and discounted access to events
Annual Subscription
- Access to Case Law Database
- Discounts to third-party events