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Show They Want? By TOM FAY his wallet by some 400,000 and bought the place from under him. This is illustrative of the way these men work and fight. They think fast, exploit situations others wouldn't even notice, and have an lightened uncanny talent for imposing their will on others. H is difficult to assess which of the two men, Onassis or Niarchos, is the bigger art connoisseur. Both have vast collections including original Van Goghs, Gauguins, Renoirs, Rouaults. Ari keeps his aboard the Christina; Niarchos keeps his in his various mansions. It is safe to say that in the field of art, the rivalry is white hot. When Niarchos heard that Onassis had bought a fabulous painting, El Greco's "Annunciation," he felt compelled to buy the same artist's "Pieta" and "St. Peter" at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars. Niarchos evidently fancies himself the ultimate patron of the arts, though. Recently in Palm Beach, Fla., he bought up a package of French paintings for a cool ?1 million. Not entirely satisfied with this, he laid out $6 million for the internationally famous collection of American actor Ed- The former Jackie Kennedy brought attention to Greek shippers when she wed Aristotle Onassis lost month. two peers, it was established he did it out of love for music, not as a business investment. Goulandris also made a big splash in the art world by paying the highest price ever recorded for an original Gauguin in a Paris art auction. His bid of 104 million francs ($290,000) for "Green Apples" left other bidders gasping. Goulandris is married to one of the world's most beautiful women. His wife Eli, once a simple manicurist, now can afford to give such gifts as a grand piano. She and Basil world-famo- us gossip columns. Most off the Greek tycoons register their shipping lines in such countries as Argentina, Liberia, and Panama, and run their vessels under these flags. The reason is simple : e these are countries. most beloved and inthe Perhaps fluential of the Greeks is Manuel Kulukundis, who with his four brothers and two cousins, Milas and Nicholas Rethymnis, operates the second or third largest of the Greek fleets. He plays golf incessantly, enjoys fishing, and carries a set of water colors in his suit pocket to doodle with on dinner menus. Like American billionaire Howard Hughes, uses the telephone for many of his business transactions. It is quite common for him to consummate business deals tax-fre- ist ward G. Robinson. But as patrons of the arts, both men take a back seat to countryman Basil Goulandris. He is the most well known of the four Goulandris brothers, operators of perhaps the largest of the Grek shipping dynasties, Orion Shipping Co., which handles some two million deadweight tons per year. Basil is a charter member of the Philharmonic Society of New York, a position he truly earned. Some years ago, the Philharmonic orchestra was set to tour the Greek islands but suddenly found money for the voyage in short supply. Basil immediately put up some $100,000 and subsidized its tour. And since he is not nearly as publicity-hungr- y as his want or need the "world's most luxurious yacht." Pericles Callimanopolous is generally thought to be the true colossus in cargo shipping, owning and operHellenic ating the Line. With 35 of the biggest and fastest cargo ships afloat under his command, he is unique among the Greek shippers in that he alone has kept his ships under the Greek flag while keeping his name out of the ris Basil Goulandris chats with actress Cyd Charisse at a Monte Carlo gala. homes in Southampton, Sun N.Y., Valley, Idaho (Basil is an incurable skier), Athens, London, Paris, and Geneva. Basil's yacht can often be seen docked along side Onassis's Christina at Cannes or other ports along the Mediterranean. It is, however, maintain considerably smaller than Ari's "floating palace," being a sporting vessel. Goulandris claims he doesn't $10-milli- over the phone. Thr am others, not quite as but famous, just as lavish in the of pursuit luxury. Cnstas Lemos, owner of the Triton Shipping Company, which handles some 1.2 million tons of cargo per year, decided that his New York apartment needed re- decorating, so he wrote a check for $500,000 and had the job done. Markos Nomikos is the shipping tycoon who is said to have won Jackie Kennedy over to the beauties of Greece with his exquisite hospitality in 1961. At Nomikos' parties, champagne flows like rivers, with every guest treated as a royal personage, every whim catered to. There is, however, one exception to the image among Greek shippers the late Stavros Livanos. Unlike the others who are big credit buyers and very free with money, Livanos was an extremely thrifty man who believed only in cash and carry. He owned every one of his ships outright. Before his death in May, 1963, Livanos was regarded by the Greeks themselves as the wealthiest of them all. He was a small man in a worn in trenchcoat, often overlooked crowds. He traveled only on business and lived exclusively in apartments in Paris, London, and New York. Unlik his flamboyant Livanos claimed he couldn't afford a yacht, tipped reluctantly, and was known to lock up his wife to prevent her from going on a shopping spree. And, too, he spent every moment possible aboard one of his ships it was cheaper. As individuals, most of the Greek tycoons own fleets larger than the navies of msny nations. Collectively, they control nearly 15 million ton of shipping. All share the love of the sweet life, and all know intimately the value of money. In short, all are brilliant bdsinessman and rival. And now that Ari has walked off with a "crown jewel" in Jackie, we can rest assured that Niarchos soon will be at the helm of the Creole, prowling the luxury ports of Europe for a status symbol that will outdo Onassis. big-spend- er 80-o- sons-in-la- Family Wtelcly, November Si. 1968 w, |