Glyn Hughes 1931 - 2014

11 the happenings he created were always a pole of attraction for the public. He always loved the Cypriot countryside. In fact, during the first years of his stay in Cyprus, he travelled all over the island, visiting and living in remote villages, getting to know the locals and passionately painting Cypriot landscapes. Following a consistent course over time, Glyn Hughes was always methodical and pioneering. He was keenly following the political, social and cultural developments of Cyprus. With his diverse contribution, Hughes created the conditions that encouraged the active participation of the public in many new and innovative things happening in the field of arts. At the same time, however, he also experienced all the tragic events that took place in Cyprus and, in fact, did not hesitate to record these in his work with dynamism and agony, such as the disturbances of 1963–1964, or the Turkish invasion of 1974, the latter of which deeply affected him. A true advocate of peace, he believed in a world free of violence, inequalities and injustices. This large publication is the first tangible result of the creative collaboration between the Press and Information Office and the Pierides Foundation through the Memorandum of Understanding, which both parties signed in 2018. The edition mainly refers to the large retrospective exhibition, organized by NiMAC [The Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, Associated with the Pierides Foundation] from May to December 2016 and curated by Yiannis Toumazis. The exhibition followed Glyn Hughes’ artistic career from the time he was a student in Britain until his latest works shortly before he died in 2014. At the same time, it presented his significant work in theatre scenography both internationally and in Cyprus, where he was a regular collaborator of the Cyprus Theatre Organization (THOC). The book also includes a very interesting study by Yiannis Toumazis on the creative synergy between Glyn Hughes and Christoforos Savva, which essentially defined the development of contemporary art in Cyprus. I would like to express my thanks to the Director of the Press and Information Office, Sophie Michaelides, hoping that this publication is only the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration. I would also like towarmly thank all the contributors to this large and important publication: Yiannis Toumazis for writing the texts, Charalambos Sergiou of the Glyn Hughes Foundation for his valuable assistance to the whole endeavour, Christos Avraamides for the photographs, Stavros Lazarides for editing the texts, and Marika Ioannou, who diligently undertook the layout of this publication with great artistic care.