Venus, Venice and Cyprus

On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday's lecture is dedicated to "The Venus Paradox" on the occasion of the homonym temporary exhibition of the A. G. Leventis Gallery. This month’s speaker is Professor Peter Humfrey, Emeritus Professor of Art History at Saint Andrews University, Scotland.

Titled ‘Venus, Venice and Cyprus’, Professor Humfrey, through his specialization on Italian Renaissance art, will refer to the pursuit of reviving the Roman Empire through the Venetians and to the triumphant symbolism of the annexation of Cyprus, the island of birth of the goddess of love, to the Venetians. By referring to the historical events, he will elaborate on art trends of the time and the role of Venus in Venetian propaganda, as well as the direct connection of Cyprus with the goddess.

Professor Peter Humfrey, who was born in Nicosia, is Emeritus Professor of Art History at the University of Saint Andrews, where he taught from 1977 until his retirement in 2012. With numerous publications on Italian Renaissance art, including monographs on Cima da Coneglianao (1983) and Titian (2007), and an introductory survey of Painting in Renaissance Venice, he has served on the committees of several major international loan exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. In 2015 he received the award of Cavaliere dell’ Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta Italiana for services to Italian culture.

Limited number of seats – please book early (Tel: 22668838 ext. 100, Monday-Friday, 10: 00-16: 00) or at [email protected].

The lecture will be given in English.