A. G. Leventis Gallery
Built a few steps from Nicosia’s historic centre, the A. G. Leventis Gallery fills a vacuum in the cultural life of Cyprus, presenting to the Cypriot public, for the first time in the island’s history, an extensive collection of important works of European art, as well as a collection of Greek artists and a collection of Cypriot art.
History and Building
In 2007 the A. G. Leventis Foundation launched one of its most ambitious projects to date by announcing an architectural design competition for a building to house the A. G. Leventis Gallery in Nicosia, thus realising Anastasios G. Leventis’ vision to establish a public gallery for his private collection of art. The construction of the building, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, UK and local architects J&A Philippou, began in 2011 and the new A. G. Leventis Gallery opened its doors to the public in March 2014.
The architects’ intention was to create a new cultural centre that embodies the personality of the family collection and also contributes to the regeneration of Nicosia.
The Leventis Gallery and apartments were designed to minimise energy use by avoiding potentially harmful solar gains, enhanced insulation and airtightness and use of daylighting wherever feasible.
The building was conceived as a monolithic stone sculpture cut away to create courtyards, terraces and roof gardens – precious sheltered and green outdoor spaces that are part of the urban character of the old city.
The Foundation’s Art Collections
The late Anastasios G. Leventis bequeathed to the Foundation the two collections he had acquired during his lifetime, one of European and one of Greek art. The former was his private collection housed in his apartment in Paris, while the latter was always intended for public display in Cyprus. The Foundation began to collect Cypriot art from the 1990s.
The Collection of Works by Greek Artists of the 19th and 20th Centuries
The Paris Collection of European Art
The Collection of Works by Cypriot Artists
The Gold Collection