Glyn Hughes 1931 - 2014

59 Few artists have left such an indelible mark on Cyprus as Glyn Hughes. Though a Welshman, his continuous residence on the island for almost six decades (1956–2014) acted as a catalyst for the development of contemporary art in Cyprus and not just that. Painter, set designer, director, teacher and educator, journalist, art and film critic, writer, poet, pioneer in performance art and happenings in Cyprus, among other things, Glyn Hughes was a multifaceted personality, full of intensity, colour and light, just like his work. He grew up in an industrial town in Wales and studied teaching art and drama in junior schools. He arrived in Cyprus “by chance”, as he used to say, in response to an invitation of college friends; since then, he took root in the island and through his manifold activities he contributed substantially to the development of a modern understanding and interpretation of visual arts in Cyprus. In 1960, at a time when Cyprus had just thrown off British rule and was trying to make a new start, Glyn and his good friend and important artist Christoforos Savva founded the Apophasis Gallery, a decisive move that definitely changed the island’s art scene. For the first time, the scattered thoughts and visions of a group of young and dynamic men found the appropriate space and fertile ground for expression, in an island, where, despite the newly achieved independence, strong political, social and spiritual contradictions were prevalent. Hughes and Savva were pioneers in breaking themould of the island’s art scene and managed to introduce into Cyprus a new and exciting way of comprehending art. The ground was quite fertile, as the establishment of the new state created an atmosphere of euphoria and optimism. Through their continuous artistic research and innovative actions, these artists laid the foundations for a conscious transition from local to global at the exact moment when art had begun to take an almost academic character. Through a consistent course over time, Glyn Hughes was not always present at everything interesting taking place in the island, but was also a methodical and at the same time fervent pioneer of the imposition of abstract expressionism in 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. His position as an art teacher at the English School in Nicosia and at the Junior School, as well as the continued cultivation of his students in understanding the new trends, also contributed to this. The ostensible freedom of Hughes’ painting surface is a result of painstaking and methodical research of colour, and the dynamic result Glyn Hughes [1931–2014]