The Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts, which has played host various exhibitions since its establishment, is coming up with another significant exhibition titled "To Exist with Art" in memory of Ismet Vehit Güney, who is considered as the father of the Turkish Cypriot art of painting.
Having been organized in memory of the tenth death anniversary of İsmet Vehit Güney, who had a great role not only in laying the foundations of the Turkish Cypriot art of painting but also in registering the social existence of Turkish Cypriots in the context of the contemporary civilization, the exhibition titled "To Exist With Art, which features 142 artworks of 61 artists, will be opened by the Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman.
The Directorate of Press and Public Relations Office of Near East University released that the opening ceremony of the exhibition titled "To Exist With Art" will be realized at 09:30 on Thursday 25 April 2019 at the Exhibition Halls of Cyprus Art Center that located in the foyer area of Atatürk Culture and Congress Center (AKKM).
"To Exist with Art" exhibition, which features 142 artworks covering all disciplines of plastic arts of 61 artists in Cyprus, will be open for visits from 10:00 to 16:00 on weekdays until 9 May 2019.
The Designer of the Flag of the Republic of Cyprus...
Ismet Vehit Güney, one of the cornerstones of the Turkish Cypriot art of painting, is best known as the designer of the modern flag of the Republic of Cyprus, the country's coat of arms and the original Cyprus lira. Ismet Vehit's design of the flag for the young Republic of Cyprus was a simple drawing on white background with a golden Cyprus map and with two green olive branches symbolizing peace between the two communities of the island.
Who is Ismet V. Güney?
Ismet Vehit Güney, one of the doyens of Turkish Cypriot art of painting, was born in 1923 in Limassol, Cyprus. He began painting while he was a student in high school. In 1946, Güney became the first Turkish Cypriot painter to open a solo art exhibition. He worked as an art and art history teacher at Lefkoşa Türk Lisesi from 1948 to 1977. In 1967, a scholarship enabled him to study at Belfast Queen's University's
Stranmills College. In 1985, he was awarded with TRNC Ministry of Culture State Award. In 1986 he had a grand retrospective exhibition in Nicosia and he was deemed worthy for Culture Art Service Award by TRNC Government. He was the winner of many awards such as Art Achievement Award, Service Honor Award, Artist of the Year Award and Ministry of National Education State Award. In addition to painting, he worked in various fields including cartoon, advertising, graphics, photography, serigraphy and color-separation. He also wrote poems and stories. He died on June 23, 2009, at the age of 85.