New
A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery of Ancient Cyprus Opens Nov. 5
Cypriote
art a great example of ancient
multiculturalism
(Toronto,
Ontario – October 19, 2005) The
Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to announce the opening of the new
permanent A.G. Leventis Foundation
Gallery of Ancient Cyprus. From
Saturday November 5, 2005,
visitors will experience the rich history of Cyprus, an island of
strategic importance in the Eastern Mediterranean. Focusing on the art
created in Cyprus between the Bronze Age and the Hellenistic era (2200 to
30 BC), more than 300 artifacts from the ROM’s extensive Cypriote
collection are on display in this beautiful new 1,500 square foot space on
the third floor of the Philosophers’ Walk building.
“A
permanent gallery dedicated to Cypriote antiquities has, until now, only
been a dream for the Museum,” says William Thorsell, the ROM’s
Director and CEO. “Thanks to the generosity of the A.G. Leventis
Foundation, and its former president, the late Mr.Constantinos
Leventis, this dream will finally come true. And what better time to
unveil such a significant gallery than during the Museum’s
ground-breaking Renaissance ROM project?”
Due
to its geographical location and wealth in copper, Cyprus was one of the
unique cultural centres
of ancient times. These two factors placed the island squarely in the
sights of many conquering nations, in particular Assyria, Egypt, Persia
and Rome. Multicultural influences – generated through trade or conquest
– are seen throughout Cypriote art. The fusion of such cultures as
Anatolia and Phoenicia to the north and east, Egypt to the south, and
Mycenae and later Classical Greece to the west, spawned an art form
distinct to the island of Cyprus.
“Cypriote
art and culture is very interesting and quite diverse,” says Paul Denis,
Curator of the Greek and Roman collections at the ROM. “Its geographical
location placed it at the crossroads of the Eastern Mediterranean, between
the east and west, and made it a very important stopover and trading
centre.
Cypriote
art is an example of ancient multiculturalism displayed through art.”
The
pottery, sculptures, bronzes and jewellery displayed in the new gallery
cover approximately 2,000 years of Cypriote archaeology. Some of these
artifacts have not been on display in decades, with some on display for
the first time.
Entering
the new gallery, visitors will see a large map highlighting the island’s
strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean. The reconstruction of a
Cypriote open-air Religious Sanctuary with 100 artifacts from the Temple
Sanctuary of Apollo at Frangissa (near the ancient city of Tammosos)
immediately captures visitors’ attention. Discovered in 1885, this
sanctuary is of particular importance because of the richness of the
finds. Photographs taken of the artifacts shortly after the original dig
will be prominently featured beside the sanctuary.
The
gallery also illustrates how important copper was to Cyprus, in the
section titled Copper and Commerce.
Copper
takes its name from the Greek word for the island, Kypros.
A section on Ancient Cypriote Pottery
Types offers a didactic glossary of
pottery styles from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic. An area dedicated
to
Sculptures will
show the pride of Cyprus; its unique sculptures made from local limestone
rather than imported marble, giving these statues a distinctly Cypriote
look and feel.
The
display Ancient Cyprus at a Glance is
divided into six different themes including Cyprus as the birthplace of
Aphrodite, Cyprus as an ally of Alexander the Great during his war against
Persia, and the Hellenization of Cyprus around 1200 BC. This section will
offer visitors an introduction to the gallery’s overarching themes. The
area of the gallery dedicated to Art
& Society: Interpretations will
guide visitors from Early Cypriote to the Classical/Hellenistic periods.
Among
the gallery’s highlights are two graves, one from the Early Cypriote
period, the other from the Cypro-Geometric,
which feature a large photograph of typical dig sites as a backsplash,
behind the artifacts.
The
Late Cypriote period is of particular importance, with a rare bronze
relief sculpture of a man carrying a large copper ingot on display; the
artifact’s importance is recognized in the logo for the new gallery.
Both the Archaic and Classical/Hellenistic periods were marked by change,
with the division of Cyprus into ten powerful kingdoms (Archaic) and
difficult struggles to free themselves from both the Persians and
Phoenicians. These changes are evident in the works of each era.
The
A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery of Ancient Cyprus will open on the same
day as the new Gallery of the Bronze Age Aegean, the latter generously
supported by the Hellenic Republic and the Greek
Communities
of Canada. The galleries work together to tell the story of early Cypriote
and Greek cultures before visitors enter the Gallery of Greece, where the
story of Greece continues with the Archaic, Classical
and
early Hellenistic periods (600 to 300 BC).
An
archaeological symposium celebrating the opening of the ROM’s new A.G.
Leventis Foundation Gallery of Ancient Cyprus and the Gallery of the
Bronze Age Aegean takes place on opening day, Saturday November 5, 2005.
Sponsored by the Hellenic Republic and the Greek Communities of Canada,
and the A.G. Leventis Foundation, five free
public lectures will be held at the
Isabel Bader Theatre (140 Charles Street West, Victoria University in the
University of Toronto) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each 40-minute lecture will
be illustrated with slides or Powerpoint images. See separate release,
“Free Lectures Celebrate Two New Gallery Openings”,
for more information.
Background:
The
Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)
is an agency of the Government of Ontario. Created in 1912, Canada’s
largest museum of natural history and world cultures has six million
objects in its collections and galleries showcasing art, archaeology and
natural science. March 19, 2004 marked the 90th anniversary of the ROM.
Renaissance
ROM is an ambitious expansion and
heritage renovation project that will transform the Royal Ontario Museum
into one of North America's great museums and a leading cultural
attraction for the city, province and country. The Museum's vast
collections, some of which have never before been displayed, will be
showcased in over 300,000 square feet of dramatic new and expanded
galleries and public spaces. A major new wing, the Michael
Lee-Chin Crystal, is being added to
the Museum, designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind in a joint
venture with Bregman + Hamann Architects. Haley Sharpe Design leads the
gallery design process and Vanbots Construction Corp. is Construction
Manager. The Hon. Hilary M. Weston leads an 80-member fundraising Campaign
Cabinet that held its Groundbreaking and Campaign Launch on May 28, 2003.
The renovated heritage galleries and Michael
Lee-Chin Crystal will open in stages
from December 26, 2005 through 2007. Renaissance ROM will allow the ROM to
expand its public programming, scientific research and educational
mandates.
