53. House of Lefteris Kounis
Brief documentation:
On 17 Ioakeim Sgourou Street, in the Mitropoleos district, there is the house where the Aivaliot painter Lefteris Kounis (1907-2005) lived.
The building is a simple residence with ground floor and first floor that has been restored and operates until today as a residence.
Kounis and his two sisters were orphaned early and their guardianship was taken over by their uncles George and Nikolaos Maltzis, painters too. They first settled in Thessaloniki in 1920, before the catastrophe in Asia Minor. Professional reasons prompted them to settle in Xanthi, where they painted many of its buildings.
Since 1927, Kounis has been moving between the neighborhoods of Xanthi to paint mansions (such as the Christidis Mansion at Orfeos 51, the Daniel Mansion at El.Venizelou) and simple buildings. He lived in this house at 17 Ioakeim Sgourou Street initially as a tenant and later as a son-in-law, as he married Maroula, daughter of the owner. The Municipality of Xanthi, recognizing his contribution to the city, awarded him the city's gold medal in 1999. In 2001 he settled permanently in Thessaloniki, where he died. In honor of the late artist in 2006 PAKETHRA (Cultural Development Center of Thrace) published the book
entitled "Lefteris Kounis and wall painting in Xanthi".
Category of thematic interest: CULTURAL / FOLKLORE INTEREST
History:
On 17 Ioakeim Sgourou Street, in the Mitropoleos district, there is the house where the Aivaliot painter Lefteris Kounis (1907-2005) lived.
Kounis and his two sisters were orphaned early and their guardianship was taken over by their uncles George and Nikolaos Maltzis, painters too. They first settled in Thessaloniki in 1920, before the destruction of Asia Minor. Professional reasons prompted them to settle in Xanthi, where they painted many of its buildings.
Kounis has been moving, since 1927, among the neighborhoods of Xanthi, to paint mansions (such as the Christidis Mansion at Orfeos 51, the Daniel Mansion at El.Venizelou) and its simple buildings. He lived in this house at 17 Ioakeim Sgourou Street initially as a tenant and later as a son-in-law, as he married Maroula, daughter of the owner.
Elements of architecture:
The building is a simple residence with ground floor and first floor that has been restored and operates until today as a residence.
Description of other elements:
The Municipality of Xanthi, recognizing his contribution to the city, awarded him the city's gold medal in 1999. In 2001 he settled permanently in Thessaloniki, where he died. In honor of the late artist in 2006 PAKETHRA (Cultural Development Center of Thrace) published the book entitled "Lefteris Kounis and jewelry in Xanthi".
Purpose - Use: Residence
Characterization: Government Gazette 612B/30-4-1976 and Government Gazette 661/Β/17-5-1976, Government Gazette 1097/14.12-1995
Dating (period): First half of the 20th century
Year of construction: First half of the 20th century
Location of the monument: 41.14354810203807, 24.886855533343045
Bibliographic references:
• E. Kouni, V. Aivaliotis, S. Adamantidou, "Lefteris Kounis and wall painting in Xanthi", Xanthi 2006
Address: Ioakeim Sgourou 17
Visitable: No