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Andreas Constantine Papadakis, FLS (17 June 1938 – 10 June 2008) was a Greek Cypriate-born British academic, entrepreneur and leading figure in the field of architectural publishing. Papadakis founded the Academy Editions imprint; under which he published in excess of one thousand titles spanning the fields of art, architecture and decorative arts; and is credited with the early recognition of new architectural paradigms, promoting many architects who would later become leading figures in their respective design fields. Papadakis’ publishing firsts include Leon Krier, Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid.

Education and Early Career
Papadakis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus on 17 June 1938 and relocated to London in 1956 to study at Imperial College; ultimately obtaining a PhD in Nuclear Physics at Brunel University. Whilst studying, Papadakis purchased a property in Holland Street, Kensington, and is said not to have fully appreciated that he was obligated to maintain a shop on the ground floor; then in use as a dry cleaners. Not permitted to incorporate this into the living-space, Papadakis founded the Academy Bookshop, and planned to sell scientific journals. Due in part to the proximity of the shop to fashion emporium Biba, however, the clientele often enquired about arts titles; particularly requesting the works of Aubrey Beardsley. This lead Papadakis to obtain a stock of outsized paper from a local printer and publish his first book, a collection of Beardsley plates.

Academy Editions & Architectural Design
In 1971, Papadakis expanded the fast-growing business with the acquisition of art bookshop and publisher Tiranti, establishing the Academy imprint. Early publications include Jim Burns’ Arthropods, Nigel Cross’ Design Participation (1972); Fiona Clark’s William Morris, Augustus Pugin’s True Principles and Charles Spencer’s The Aesthetic Movement (1973); Jonathan Scott’s Piranesi (1975); Roger Bilcliffe’s Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Drawings (1977).

In 1976, Papadakis took over the financially troubled Architectural Design (AD) magazine. This created some controversy; particularly amongst proponents of the Modernist movement; due both to Papadakis’ unusual route into architectural publishing, and to his unwillingness to align to any particular architectural paradigm. This controversy increased with his publishing of Charles Jencks’ The Language of Post-Modern Architecture in 1977.

Both AD and Academy Editions showcased Post-Modern, Classical and Deconstructionist works throughout the 1980s; whilst Papadakis himself actively fostered the pluralist debate through seminars and conferences at the Architectural Association, the Polytechnic of Central London and Academy Forums at the Tate and the Royal Academy. Among these, the major British Architecture Now exhibition at the RIBA in 1982 is of particular note. During this period, Papadakis organised major lectures by Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and others, and founded Art & Design, a sister publication to AD.

In 1990, Papadakis sold Academy Editions to German conglomerate VCH, and was subsequently forbidden by contract to publish in competition with the company for six years.

Papadakis Publisher
In 1997, Papadakis founded a new publishing firm, Papadakis Publisher, with his daughter Alexandra. In addition to reviving titles on Art Nouveau, Edwin Lutyens and Zaha Hadid, the company broadened scope to include works of natural science and popular scientific interest; including the acclaimed  series on pollen, seeds and fruit published in association with Kew Gardens, for which Papadakis was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society.

Personal Life
As Papadakis’ business ventures were increasingly successful, he purchased a variety of properties for restoration, including the Elizabethan Kilbees Farm in Winkfield, Berkshire and Dauntsey Park House, Wiltshire, although the latter project ended in 2005 when local planners refused permission to replace a missing wing of the building. In 2008, Papadakis purchased the Monkey Island Hotel at Bray, Berkshire.

Papadakis was also an increasingly active member of the Greek Orthodox community in London, helping to found the Hellenic Centre, Westminster and the Hellenic Institute at Royal Holloway, University of London.