NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) – Abstract figures of naked women spinning to the beat of a five-piece band shocked many people almost 60 years ago as they watched the artwork for the first time on the walls of a popular restaurant-club Cyprus.
The valuable and very rare concrete relief of Christoforos Savva, the most avant-garde artist in Cyprus since the 1960s, has been hidden for decades in the underground recesses of the abandoned Perroquet nightclub in Varosha – an inaccessible ghost town that had been under Turkish military control. since a 1974 war ethnically split the island nation.
But with the controversial partial opening of Varosha in November last year, the artwork came to light again following a report by the local newspaper Politis. Now, the man who says he ordered the art from Savva is asking the authorities for help in removing it and transporting it to the country’s national gallery for all to see.
Former Perroquet owner Avgerinos Nikitas, 93, a Greek Cypriot, has called on a committee of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots to protect the cultural treasures of Cyprus on both sides of the division. helps eliminate the 13 sections.
“Instead, I pledge to donate these pieces to the National Collection as a small contribution to the huge body of work of Christoforos Savva,” Nikitas said in a letter to The Committee and the Cyprus Ministry of Education.
But the whole enterprise could be derailed, as the Greek Cypriot family that owns the Esperia Tower Hotel, which hosted the Perroquet Club, insists that the artwork belongs to them legally. They say they will not allow “private property” to be removed and transferred and warn of legal action.
Speaking on behalf of his family, Panayiotis Constantinou told the AP that their lawyer advised them that the hotel, the club and everything inside it belonged to the family, regardless of the cultural value of the Savva work of art.
“We respect and value culture, but this is private property about which we have not been asked anything about its elimination and, on top of that, someone else claims it,” Constantinou said.
Art historians regard Savva as one of the most influential artists of the time who brought the modern world of traditional art to the country in the years immediately after Cyprus gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.
Painter and sculptor, Savva moved away from established, representative art styles, including influences such as Cubism, which he took over during his stays in London and Paris until the 1950s, in his voluminous work. He died in 1968.
“Savva was an innovator who always sought to open new paths and challenge the conservative times in which he lived,” said Andre Zivanari, director of Point Center for Contemporary Art.
Savva’s work reflected the joy of living in Varosha, which at the time was the most progressive and popular tourist resort in Cyprus – a favorite for visitors from Europe and beyond, said Yiannis Toumazis, a professor of art history and a Greek Cypriot member. of the culture committee.
Everything changed in the summer of 1974, when Turkey invaded following a coup by union supporters with Greece. The Turkish armed forces took over an empty Varosha and kept it practically sealed until November last year, when Turkish Cypriot authorities reopened a part of the beach to the public.
The move caused great consternation among Greek Cypriot residents of the suburbs and protests by the island’s internationally recognized government amid concerns that the leadership of the hard line of Turkish northern Cyprus was seeking to bring the entire area under its control.
Former Cypriot first lady and co-chair of the cultural commission, Androulla Vassiliou, told the PA that the body would look into bringing relief to the south of the island once new Turkish Cypriot members were appointed.
Former members of the Turkish Cypriot committee resigned collectively in December last year over what they said was a divergence of views with the new Turkish Cypriot leadership over its goal of leading talks to resolve the division of Cyprus away from a federation-based agreement.
The recovery of works of art that disappeared amid the confusion of war is not without precedent. In February last year, the culture committee successfully conceived the return of 219 paintings – including some of the most significant works produced by Greek Cypriot artists – that were considered lost or stolen in the north.
Instead, Turkish Cypriots received rare archive footage from the CyBC state broadcaster of Turkish Cypriot cultural and sporting events from 1955 to the early 1960s. The exchange was seen as a tangible way to build trust in Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Toumazis said the return of Savva’s reliefs would be another step in building confidence, but it would be better if people could return to their properties in Varosha.
“It would be nice for the people themselves to go back to what they had, rather than transfer some work of art to them,” he said.