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Ancient Cyprus: A Preview of The A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery of Cypriot Antiquities

Opens June 27, 2003

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the Leventis Foundation are pleased to
announce the opening of Ancient Cyprus: A Preview of The A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery of Cypriot Antiquities, a new display that honours the rich and diverse heritage of Cypriot art and culture, in the 3rd floor Greeks and Etruscans gallery starting June 27th 2003.

Ancient Cyprus: A Preview of The A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery of Cypriot Antiquities will showcase approximately 60 pieces from the ROM's extensive collection of Cypriot artifacts and will focus on the art that was created in Cyprus between the Bronze Age and the Roman era (3000 BC -200 AD). One of the most famous pieces that will be on display will be a fragmentary bronze sculpture of a man carrying a large copper ingot, the material that gave the island its name.

ROM curator Paul Denis, Head of the Western Art and Culture department, explains, "This exhibit is a preview of the ROM's important collection of Cypriot pieces. A permanent gallery with approximately 300 artifacts will open in December 2005, with phase one of the Renaissance ROM expansion project. The permanent A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery of Cypriot Antiquities will serve as an entrance to the Greek Gallery and will house a recreation of an outdoor sanctuary that the Cypriots created to hold 6th-century BC sculptures."

Anastasios Leventis, who established one of the largest companies in West Africa, established the A.G. Leventis Foundation in May 1979. From 1966, Leventis served as Cyprus' honorary Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. The aim of the Foundation is to support educational, cultural, artistic and philanthropic causes in Cyprus, Greece and elsewhere. The range and direction of its activities are still based on the philanthropic interests of the founder.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is Canada's largest museum and a popular public attraction. Created in 1912, the ROM has an unusually broad dual mandate of natural history and human cultures. Today, the ROM holds 5 million objects in its collections, providing engaging galleries of art, archaeology and science. Showcasing Canada's culture and natural history, the ROM also conducts important scientific research. In 2001/02 the ROM welcomed more than 1,050,000 visitors to its exhibitions, education programs and facilities, surpassing one million visitors for the second time in three years. Renaissance ROM, the new master plan project to transform the Museum, will allow the display of more collections in new and renovated galleries designed by Daniel Libeskind, generate additional revenues for collections, education and research, and anchor a new cultural centre in Toronto.

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Issue date:
June 10, 2003

For more information:
Media Relations
Tel.: 416.586.5547
Fax: 416.586.8022
E-mail: media@rom.on.ca

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