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Travel

Another Reason to Visit Nicosia: The Zampelas Art Museum

written by Brenna Holeman January 4, 2015

Zampelas Art Museum 10

A view of Nicosia from the museum

One of the best trips I took in 2014 was my short holiday to Nicosia, Cyprus. I didn’t know very much about Cyprus before visiting, let alone Nicosia; while many people I know who have been to the Mediterranean country have visited the coast, I hadn’t met many who had explored its capital city. While I am a beach bum through and through, give me a city filled with fascinating history, delicious food, and cobblestoned streets, and I’ll be very happy. Give me a modern art museum and I’ll be even happier.

I feel like I write a lot of superlatives on this blog. It’s a trope in travel writing – in bad travel writing, to be honest – and I hate that I’m often using words like “best” and “amazing” and “oh my God it was super awesome” (I don’t think I’ve actually written that anywhere on here… yet). I don’t often write about the dull bits of my travels, the boring and the bland, because I just don’t feel that they deserve the space. Because of my full-time Master’s degree and intense work/freelance schedule, blogging has (regretfully) often had to take a backseat. Simply put, when I do get a chance to blog, I want to write about the good things, the great things.

Zampelas Art Museum 5

“Where are you going with this, you babbling idiot?” you may find yourself asking. Well, I’ll tell you. The modern art museum in Nicosia – the Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum – is by far one of the coolest I’ve been to. I’m a bit biased, of course; much like my feeling toward castles, while I appreciate the history behind a lot of art, I don’t get that excited about anything that dates before the mid-19th century. While I don’t care very much for classic art, I love modern art. My favourite artist is Matisse, followed by Degas, Cézanne, Modigliani, Khalo, Basquiat, and a whole lot of other artists you can see in most modern museums. I collect art when I travel (which you can see a lot of here, and here, and my most recent painting I bought in Nicaragua here) and I always gravitate toward big, bright colours, and big, bold shapes. It was no wonder, then, that I loved the Zampelas Art Museum.

Zampelas Art Museum 4

The lovely Char of Taylor Hearts Travel admiring the view

The museum itself is absolutely gorgeous – an architectural wonder made up of interesting shapes and clean lines, with lots of glass to let natural light in (I mean, look at it!). We visited on a sunny day in October, and were immediately greeted by a temporary exhibit of Steve McCurry’s work; as he’s one of the best, if not the best, travel photographers in the world, I was really excited. Venturing to the museum’s other floors, however, it was incredible to see the range and scope of Cypriot modern art.

Zampelas Art Museum 9

Zampelas Art Museum 6

Zampelas Art Museum 1

Zampelas Art Museum 11

That’s the thing about this museum – it’s full of local art. You won’t find many (if any) Matisses, or Degas, or Modiglianis… but I appreciated that. If I’m in Cyprus, I want to see Cypriot art. The higher floors were full of permanent exhibitions of exactly that, and wandering around the museum was one of the highlights of my trip to Nicosia.

Zampelas Art Museum 2

One of the best parts of our visit was that Michalakis Zampelas himself joined us for a coffee and a chat. A kind, articulate man, he was the mayor of Nicosia from 2002 to 2006, and has long been a supporter of the Cypriot arts. He started collecting art with his wife, Loukia, over 40 years ago; he told us the story of the first painting he bought. He couldn’t afford it at the time, so he promised the dealer he’d pay £10 here, £10 there, until he owned it. He is a man of passion, and a man who loves the talented artists of his country; I have deep respect for that, and loved the museum even more for it. As the museum’s website states, “The Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum reflects the desire of Michalakis and Loukia Zampelas to contribute to local art and cultural events, to bring art closer to their fellow citizens, and to exhibit the beauty of Cypriot heritage to the wider world, leaving an ‘eternal treasure’ in Cyprus and abroad.” The Zampelas are also deeply involved in art education in Cyprus.

Zampelas Art Museum 13

Mr. Zampelas and his first purchased painting

There are many reasons why I think Nicosia deserves all those superlatives. The Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum deserves them all, too: beautiful, thought-provoking, and, well, what can I say… super awesome.

Zampelas Art Museum 14

The museum is found at 27 Arch. Makarios III Avenue in Kaimakli, Nicosia, approximately 30 minutes by foot from the Elefteria Square in the Old City. It is open every day except Sunday, but make sure to check the website for its hours, which vary depending on season. We spoke with many members of the museum staff and they were all extremely gracious and knowledgable.

Do you like modern art? Have you been to Cyprus? 

Many thanks to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation for inviting me to explore their beautiful country. 

ArtCyprusEurope
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Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 15 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

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9 comments

Camille January 5, 2015 - 2:18 am

That looks like such a gem! I love modern art, Modigliani is one of my favorites too. Older art is great too, though. I love it all!

Reply
Brenna Holeman January 5, 2015 - 9:01 pm

Yeah, it was such a great museum!

Reply
Scarlett January 6, 2015 - 9:24 am

It looks like such a lovely museum – I always really love seeing local art as well. I love the look of the black and white painting with the red part, it looks so pretty!

Reply
Brenna Holeman January 6, 2015 - 6:47 pm

Yeah, there were so many great pieces there!

Reply
George Roditis February 8, 2015 - 6:49 am

I have visited The Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum many times and it is always a pleasure to be there. The Museum is an asset not only for Nicosia but for the whole Cyprus by exhibiting in its own special and friendly way the beauty of Cypriot art. It is a must place to be visited by all, visitors and locals. Congratulations to Michael and Loukia.

Reply
Brenna Holeman February 8, 2015 - 3:02 pm

I agree! It is such a wonderful place. Thank you very much for your comment!

Reply
A Perfect Day in Nicosia - This Battered Suitcase March 31, 2015 - 2:52 pm

[…] lunch, I recommend walking to the Zampelas Art Museum. I’ve already written extensively about it here, and I think it is well worth a couple of hours of your time. Featuring almost exclusively modern […]

Reply
The Most Overused Words in Travel Writing - This Battered Suitcase April 17, 2015 - 12:52 am

[…] and all those other superlatives. I wrote a strange introduction to this art museum in Cyprus in which I describe how often I use superlatives. I’m sure many of us are guilty of it. Think about it: how often do you say the words […]

Reply
Sheila Wright June 1, 2016 - 9:43 am

I love this place, terrific to entertain children and in beautiful surroundings, with an outdoor café in the shade. The staff are very welcoming and the shop has top rate souvenirs which I have often send abroad as gifts for my arty friends, We take school trips there, and the educators do a very good job too.

Reply

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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm about to become a single mom to a beautiful baby boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

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Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

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This Battered Suitcase is not only about the where and the how of travel, it's about the who and the why.

Originally from Canada, all I've ever wanted to do is travel. After eleven years of solo travel and over 90 countries, I'm currently living in London and fulfilling my other dream of becoming a writer. If I'm not travelling, I'm writing about it, either for my blog, my job, or my book. I firmly believe there is adventure everywhere, so long as you keep your eyes (and your mind, and your heart) open. Join me as I continue to look for these adventures. Hopefully you'll find your own, too.

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