Museum

Leventis Municipal Museum

Nicosia, Cyprus · founded 1984

Museum in Nicosia, founded 1984; part of Nicosia Municipality. 12 people in the register connected with it.

The Cypriot collection

a city-history museum with a gallery of archaeological finds from the Nicosia area (mainly loans from the Cyprus Museum); the Constantine Leventis Wing (January 2010) houses two long-term private loans, the Severis and Phylactou collections (Chalcolithic to Medieval), and its own medieval ceramics (26 + 115 + 180 pieces bought 1986-2003) (2010)

Karageorghis 2010, p. 9 Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21

History

1984
Founded on the initiative of the mayor of Nicosia, Lellos Demetriades; the A. G. Leventis Foundation bought and restored the building and the Municipality of Nicosia runs the museum. Wikipedia also says it opened to the public on 20 April 1989 and was the first historical museum in Cyprus.
NicosiaLellos Demetriades Leventis Municipal Museum of…
1986
The Association of Friends of the Leventis Museum, founded this year on Constantine Aimiliades's initiative, bought the museum's first 26 medieval ceramics from the dealer-collector Petros Kolokasides, paying in four instalments; they remain in the Frankish Gallery.
NicosiaConstantine Aimiliades Petros Kolokasides Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21
1996
115 medieval and 17th-19th-century pieces, all found in Cyprus, bought from Pavlos Neophytou; the Leventis Foundation paid on the Friends' behalf. Shown at the city's 'Days of Nicosia' medieval festival in autumn 1996, then mostly in the Frankish Gallery.
NicosiaConstantine Aimiliades Pavlos Neophytou Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21
1996–1997
Fulbright scholar Joseph Parvis carried out the initial digitization of the museum's photographic archive.
NicosiaJoseph A. Parvis Toumazou et al. 2011
January 2003
Agreement concluded to buy the medieval ceramic collection of Dr Thanos Gregoriades (180 pieces per the curator's foreword; 'over 140' glazed pieces elsewhere in the volume), six months after Constantine Leventis's death.
NicosiaThanos Gregoriades Constantine Leventis Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21
April 2003
The Ministry of Education and Culture asked for proposals for an exhibition of the medieval collection in London.
NicosiaPapanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21
2004
Exhibition 'Colours of Medieval Cyprus: Aspects of Daily Life 1191-1571' (London) marking Cyprus's EU accession and honouring Constantine Leventis; curated by Papanikola-Bakirtzi, Loizou-Hadjigavriel and Poyiadji-Richter.
LondonDemetra Papanikola-Bakirtzi Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel Elena Poyiadji-Richter Constantine Leventis Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004
2004
Colours of Medieval Cyprus: Through the Medieval Ceramic Collection of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, text by Papanikola-Bakirtzi, with essays by Sir David Hunt and Eleni Loizides (conservation).
NicosiaDemetra Papanikola-Bakirtzi David Hunt Eleni Loizides Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004 Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 11
2004
With A. Constandinide, the museum carried out a study for the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cypriot private museums: 33 of 68 non-state museums in the south were founded 1990-2000.
NicosiaLoukia Loizou Hadjigavriel Stylianou-Lambert & Bounia 2016
2009
Demosthenis C. Severis decided at the end of 2009 to place his whole collection on long-term loan for the new Constantine Leventis Wing; the second edition of the Severis catalogue was undertaken for it.
NicosiaDemosthenis C. Severis Costakis Severis Karageorghis & Severis 2010, p. 11
January 2010
The Constantine Leventis Wing was inaugurated, with two galleries for the Severis and Phylactou collections.
NicosiaKarageorghis 2010, p. 9
2010
Chris Phylactou placed his collection (about 135 objects, Chalcolithic to Medieval, rich in Red Polished III) on long-term loan to the museum; catalogue by V. Karageorghis.
NicosiaChris Phylactou Vassos Karageorghis Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel Elena Poyiadji-Richter Karageorghis 2010, p. 9 ; p. 19
2010
The Severis Collection of Cypriote Antiquities, 2nd ed., published (first edition 1999) for the wing, by Karageorghis and D. C. Severis.
NicosiaDemosthenis C. Severis Vassos Karageorghis Karageorghis & Severis 2010, p. 11
24 April 2013
Exhibition 'The World of Cyprus' showed Diamantis's painting returned to Cyprus by a private institution; the political-museum study reads it as reinforcing a Greek Cypriot ethno-national narrative.
NicosiaStylianou-Lambert & Bounia 2016

People

12 people

Staff and members · 6

Joseph A. Parvisfellow (1996–1997) · Fulbright scholar, initial digitization of the photographic archiveToumazou et al. 20111996
Demetra Papanikola-Bakirtzispecialist (2003–2004) · curator of the 2004 exhibition and author of the catalogue of its medieval ceramic collection · catalogued its collectionPapanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 212003–2004
Loukia Loizou Hadjigavrielcurator (2003–2010) · Curator (styled Director in one foreword)Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004 Karageorghis 20102003
Thanos Gregoriadesseller (January–January 2003) · seller of his medieval ceramic collectionPapanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 212003
Elena Poyiadji-Richtercurator (c. 2007–2010) · Assistant Curator (2010 and the Severis catalogue); later giving the museum as her addressKarageorghis 2010 Karageorghis & Severis 20102007
Lellos Demetriadesfounder (from 1984)Leventis Municipal Museum of…

Donors and lenders · 4

Constantine Aimiliadessecretary (from 1986) · gave objectsPapanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 211986–1996
Costakis Severislent objects2009
Demosthenis C. Severislender (from 2009) · lender of the Severis Collection (long-term loan) · lent objectsKarageorghis & Severis 2010, p. 112009–2010
Chris Phylactoulender (from 2010) · long-term lender of the Phylactou Collection · lent objectsKarageorghis 2010, p. 92010

Sellers and consignors · 2

Petros Kolokasidesseller (1986–1986) · sold objectsPapanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 211986
Pavlos Neophytouseller (1996–1996)Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21

Objects

26 medieval ceramics, the museum's first, now in the Frankish Gallery
via Petros Kolokasides1986Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21
115 medieval and 17th-19th-century pottery pieces found in Cyprus
via Pavlos Neophytou1996Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21
Medieval ceramic collection, 180 pieces (curator's foreword)
via Thanos GregoriadesJanuary 2003Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2004, p. 21; p. 159
Severis Collection of Cypriote antiquities, long-term loan (e.g. Chalcolithic Red-on-White bowls and zoomorphic vases)
via Demosthenis C. Severis2009Karageorghis & Severis 2010, p. 11 ; cat. 1-6, pp. 16-17
Phylactou Collection, about 135 objects, long-term loan
via Chris Phylactou2010Karageorghis 2010, p. 9

On Ancient Cyprus

1 page

Cypriot Pottery Replicas and Fakes: Is My Piece Real?Article

Sources

1.Demetra Papanikola-Bakirtzi (2004). Colours of Medieval Cyprus: Through the Medieval Ceramic Collection of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia. Nicosia, The Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation.
2.Demetra Papanikola-Bakirtzi (2004). Colours of Medieval Cyprus: Through the Medieval Ceramic Collection of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia. Nicosia, The Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation.
3.V. Karageorghis (ed.) (2010). Cypriote Antiquities in the Phylactou Collection. Nicosia, A. G. Leventis Foundation.
4.V. Karageorghis, D. C. Severis (2010). The Severis Collection of Cypriote Antiquities. Nicosia, A. G. Leventis Foundation.
5.T. Stylianou-Lambert, A. Bounia (2016). The Political Museum: Power, Conflict, and Identity in Cyprus.
6.M. K. Toumazou (ed.), P. N. Kardulias (ed.), D. B. Counts (ed.) (2011). Crossroads and Boundaries: The Archaeology of Past and Present in the Malloura Valley, Cyprus.
7.“Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia”. Wikipedia. Online