Lectures

On an annual basis the Gennadius Library organizes 6 to 10 academic lectures or panel discussions geared to a broader educated public. The lecture series typically does not have a yearly theme, but takes into account the anniversaries of important events, an exhibition, a ground-breaking publication, or the translation of a book into Greek.

The most prestigious among all lectures organized by the Gennadius Library is the Annual Walton Lecture in honor of Francis Walton, a most beloved librarian who brought grandeur and fame to the Library during his tenure (1961-1976). This lecture brings to Athens leading intellectuals whose work has contributed to knowledge and, as a result, they themselves contribute to the development of the Library into a premier scholarly institution.

The series of the Gennadius lectures has been made possible since 2005 thanks to funding from Lloyd Cotsen. After Lloyd’s passing in 2017 a generous gift was made to the Gennadius endowment by the Cotsen Family Foundation for Public Programming. A chronological listing of all Gennadius lectures can be found here.