Sensual and timeless Gorman at Aspelia

Michael Gorman will be exhibiting his work at Aspelia Gallery, from March 12 at 8pm.

Gorman has been making arresting figurative images for over 35 years. His work is found in private and public collections throughout the world and he continues to exhibit internationally.

In 1974 he was invited to exhibit to John Moores Exhibition in Liverpool and at the 'British Realists' show at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham.

His inclusion in the survey exhibition, 'Aspects of Reality' which toured Canada in 1976 placed the artist amongst the leading figures in the trend worldwide. Nicholas Treadwell, the London-based art dealer, successfully gathered a number of artists sharing a broad interest in urban subject matter and hyper-realist technique.

In a period from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the artists were provided with an international platform through the emergent art fairs of Basel in Switzerland and Dusseldorf in Germany.

In 1977 Gorman was amongst those invited to participate in the exhibition 'Mythologies Quotidiennes' at the Musee d'Art Moderne, Paris and in 1979 in the 'Grands et Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui' at Le Grand Palais, Paris.

Exhibitions followed in Italy at the Gallerie Naviglio in Milan, as well as New York (Katzen Galleries) and in several international venues.

Gorman has subsequently gone on to refine a more personal style of imagery and content, widening his sphere of reference to include Classical and Renaissance architecture, formal gardens and landscapes.

With its frequent allusion to the female nude the work has a warm, sensuous feel often combined with a tranquil, timeless atmosphere.

Extraordinarily beautiful

Andreas

Paraskevas Gallery Morphi, Limassol

Once again figuration is everywhere.

There is drama in these paintings.

In this exhibition there is considerable feeling and complex situations.

It opened on Tuesday and continues until March 29.

Andreas Savides, Gloria Gallery

Our veteran sculptor also paints. Will be wonderful. Until March 22 .

Les Palin at

Diachroniki

DIACHRONIKI Gallery in Nicosia hosts an exhibition of paintings by Les Palin, from Friday, March 7.

It opens at 8pm and will close on March 31.

Born to British parents in India in 1926, Palin moved to England in 1945.

In 1956 he enrolled at The Sir John Cass College, where he studied art part-time until 1966.

In 1972, one of his paintings was accepted and hung at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition; in subsequent years, more of his paintings were accepted to this exhibition.

In 1981 he joined The Saint Albans Art School, where he studied sculpture and art for three years.

Between 1987-1991 he joined the University of Middlesex where he won twice The Ian Fraser drawing prize.

Subsequently, he exhibited with considerable success at the International Art Consultants , Dock Street Gallery, and the Llewellyn Lloyd Gallery in Waterloo.

Palin’s art is influenced by important Western European painters and sculptors: his watercolours by Turner, Cezanne and Wolde; his oils by Vlamnick, Derain, and the German expressionists.

His sculpture - by Praxiteles, Pheidias and Polycletus.

The artist resides in both England and Cyprus and hopes to live in Cyprus for longer periods of time as he is drawn to the light, the warm colours, the landscape, and the hospitality of its people.

Malvena Middleton

Malvena’s much awaited exhibition opens at Diatopos on Wednesday and will continue until March 28 of the month.

Full report of this absolutely brilliant work in glass next week.

Stass Paraskos Kypriaki Gonia

46 Stadium, Larnaca

This exhibition of new work (paintings) by Stass has already opened at Kypriaki Gonia and will continue until March 10.

Stass is a superb painter capturing the essence of our environment in great paintings.

He is also a magnificent influence as a teacher. Nothing but the best.

Lia Voyiatzi and

Christos Christou

These two outstanding artists have a joint exhibition ar Castelliotissa Hall, Paphos Gate continuing until March 16.

A magnificent show in every way.

Great paintings from extreme realism to pure abstracts.

These two artists have conquered "The Gate" with talent and style. Congratulations.

Portland Print

Project Oregon USA

Original fine art printmaking exhibition and exchange

An exhibition of original fine art printmaking works under the title Nicosia – Portland Print Project was opened at Print Arts NW, Portland, Oregon, USA on Wednesday.

The exhibition is an initiative of the ongoing "International Print Project" launched in 2007 by Dr Arafat Al-Naim and Barbara Mason in collaboration with international art institutes, associations, galleries and artists from all over the world to celebrate global culture and widen inter-cultural dialogue while demonstrating the richness of printmaking medium.

The ambitious International Original Fine Art Print Exhibition and Exchange of work between many countries aims to enhance, support, promote, and present the new tendencies in the art of engraving and to place printmaking within the wider context of contemporary art.

"Nicosia – Portland Print Project" is the first exhibition and exchange of Cypriot printmaking in the USA.

It consists of the fine art print works and engravings by eight distinguished Cypriot artists from various generations, stylistic orientations, aesthetic and philosophical conceptions, illustrating a range of techniques and subject fields. Through developed personal vocabularies and use of different creative approaches in their artistic works they present their national identity.

The selected works of Telemachos Kanthos, Rhea Bailey, Christos Christou, Evgenia Vasiloudi, Efklides Papadopoulos, Stella Lantsia, Evripides Zantides and Aspasia Papadema explore the breadth and vitality of contemporary Cypriot printmaking.

Kanthos is considered to be the father of Cypriot engraving. His exceptional wood engravings opened the way for the development of Cypriot printmaking.

In her engravings Rhea Bailey creates innovative parallel forms to her painting work by exploring new concepts, materials and expresses personal experience.

Christos Christou carries us to an imaginable world to express his individual style thoughts and feelings that surround him reflecting a clear Classic and Byzantine tradition where the light, the movement, the scheme, the shape in combination with the artist’s thought creates a lyric and poetic world. Stella Lantsia plays a lot with colour on large homogenous surfaces to imprint nature and its symbols, while Evgenia Vasiloudi, Efklides Papadopoulos, Evripides Zantides and Aspasia Papadema demonstrate understanding of technical aspects and represent new tendencies in the art of engraving.

Later this year an exhibition of professional artists of Print Arts Northwest will be opened at Opus 39 Gallery in Nicosia, Cyprus.

The exhibition is accompanied by a glossy catalogue, with colour reproduction of the works, an introduction by Dr Arafat Al-Naim and biographical details of the artists.

The current exhibition at Opus Gallery in Nicosia is by Athinoulla Kyriacou and continues until March 17.

Angelo Evangelou is at

Pantheon Gallery

Here is an excellent artist indeed. Her work has a deep undercurrent of feeling. An area can evoke a deep sadness.

The colour is resonant with passion. At her brilliant opening the whole space was surrounded by magnificent paintings exuding a deep "tragic eroticism". There was also the quiet drumbeats and an actual real live dancer who with superb movement and personal objects took us into the realms of past experiences. Great.

Long-delayed Acropolis museum will open in September

ATHENS (AP)

A long-delayed new museum in Athens where Greece hopes to reunite its ancient Acropolis masterpieces with Britain's Elgin Marbles will open in September, officials said.

Culture Minister Michalis Liapis said finishing the glass and concrete building was a "national challenge" and would boost Greece's campaign to wrest the 5th century B.C. sculptures from the British Museum.

"We will inaugurate the new museum in September," he said. "This modern, functional and safe museum will be a strong argument against those who oppose the Marbles' return."

The Elgin Marbles - or Parthenon Sculptures - were removed from the Parthenon temple by Scottish diplomat Lord Elgin in the 19th century, when Greece was still an unwilling part of the Ottoman empire. The museum in London has repeatedly rejected Greek calls for their return.

Liapis said a delicate operation to transfer hundreds of priceless statues and thousands of smaller pieces from the old museum on top of the Acropolis hill to the new building would be finished by the end of March.

The έ129m museum was initially scheduled for completion in 2004, but was delayed by legal wrangling and archaeological discoveries on the central Athens plot at the foot of the Acropolis.

Museum director Dimitris Pantermalis said the focal point of the exhibition, sculptures from the Parthenon that escaped removal to Britain and other European countries, would soon be placed in its final position in a glass hall at the top of the building.

"In a few weeks we will complete the trial installation of copies. which will help us resolve all issues regarding the display, and will then replace them with the originals," he said.

The Parthenon was built between 447-432 B.C. in honour of Athena, ancient Athens' patron goddess, and was decorated with hundreds of sculpted figures of gods and participants in a religious procession. About half of the surviving works are now in London.

Designed by US-based architect Bernard Tschumi in collaboration with Greece's Michalis Photiadis, the new Acropolis museum will contain more than 4,000 works, 10 times the number on display in the old museum.

Rijksmuseum will not

reopen

until 2013

AMSTERDAM (AP)

The Netherlands' Rijksmuseum, or national gallery, will not reopen until 2013 at the earliest due to construction delays, the Education Ministry said.

"This is a big disappointment for all parties concerned," the ministry said in a statement.

"If there are no further setbacks, the Rijksmuseum can open ... at the beginning of 2013."

The museum shuttered most of its collection in 2004 for a major renovation, though Rembrandt's Night Watch and a few other masterpieces remain on display.

The museum was originally due to reopen this year, but that was pushed back to 2010 by disputes over design plans.

The ministry said it had failed to find a builder willing to carry out the renovation for a reasonable price. The only one to bid, Koninklijke BAM NV, offered to do it for έ222m, while government estimates said it shouldn't cost more than έ134m.

The government plans to call for new bids in a European tender.

Christos Christou, Apocalypse

Highly imaginative work by this artist from Cyprus who has now settled down in Salonica.

These "Figurations" sort of lead off to a new kind of surrealism.