Founder

”Everything happened at the right time, as I felt it and as it was meant to be.

In 1988, I was suffocating in the Capital, I was trying to find some time for printmaking and I went to cloister and work to Plataniskia, a village full of ruins, in the middle of nowhere.

In 1995, I created the Printmaking School in memory of my teacher Α. Tassos and for quenching those who were thirsty to learn printmaking, just like me who in 1971 went to my teacher in Athens.

In 2008, together with my friends and partners of the non-profit organisation Hambis Printmaking School-Museum, we created Hambis Printmaking Museum to teach Cyprus the truth about printmaking in the world.

During these ten years of operation of the Museum, many high-calibre printmakers came to beautify our company from both East and West. Albrecht Dürer, Marcantonio Raimondi, Abraham Ortelius, Jacques Callot, Stefano Della Bella, William Hogarth, Francisco de Goya, Gustave Doré, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Adolfo Mexiac, Vladimir Favorsky, Marc Chagall, Dimitris Galanis, Α. Tassos, Vaso Katraki, Telemachos Kanthos and many other internationally respected artists gave printmaking lessons to thousands of visitors.

This is why we created this Museum; so people can learn about printmaking. From what our visitors learn and from their praising words it is continuously evidenced that we were right. What pleases me most and my greatest remuneration is to see teachers and pupils from Cypriot schools getting to love printmaking.

Entering the second decade of operation of the Museum is a new start for us. With all the forces we have, with passion and with the support of our friends we shall continue enriching the Museum and beautifying our world with new knowledge”.

History of The Museums

Founder

”Everything happened at the right time, as I felt it and as it was meant to be. In 1988, I was suffocating in the Capital, I was trying to find some time for printmaking and I went to cloister and work to Plataniskia, a village full of ruins, in the middle of nowhere. In 1995, I created the Printmaking School in memory of my teacher Α. Tassos and for quenching those who were thirsty to learn printmaking, just like me who in 1971 went to my teacher in Athens. In 2008, together with my friends and partners of the non-profit organisation Hambis Printmaking School-Museum, we created Hambis Printmaking Museum to teach Cyprus the truth about printmaking in the world. During these ten years of operation of the Museum, many high-calibre printmakers came to beautify our company from both East and West. Albrecht Dürer, Marcantonio Raimondi, Abraham Ortelius, Jacques Callot, Stefano Della Bella, William Hogarth, Francisco de Goya, Gustave Doré, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Adolfo Mexiac, Vladimir Favorsky, Marc Chagall, Dimitris Galanis, Α. Tassos, Vaso Katraki, Telemachos Kanthos and many other internationally respected artists gave printmaking lessons to thousands of visitors. This is why we created this Museum; so people can learn about printmaking. From what our visitors learn and from their praising words it is continuously evidenced that we were right. What pleases me most and my greatest remuneration is to see teachers and pupils from Cypriot schools getting to love printmaking. Entering the second decade of operation of the Museum is a new start for us. With all the forces we have, with passion and with the support of our friends we shall continue enriching the Museum and beautifying our world with new knowledge”.

Hambis

Hambis borned in Kontea in 1947. Young self-taught painter and printmaker meets with A. Tassos who gives him his first printmaking lessons, in Athens in 1971. He also studied Graphic Arts at the Surikov Institute in Moscow between the years 976 and 1982. After his studies in Moscow, he dedicates all of his life in printmaking, creating woodcuts, lithographs, etchings but mainly linocuts and screen prints. Almost his whole printed work testifies his deep love for Cyprus. After all, as his main artistic goal, he has set and has always been true to the various expressions of his homeland. His works, in direct connection with the events experienced by his country and himself, as a refugee, give an account on the ”disasters of the war”, the sorrow of uprooted people.The joys, beauties and traditions of the island are equally reflected and depicted in prints with landscapes, traditional elements of architecture and art from antiquity, and customs. Much of his work comprises illustrations of Cypriot folk tales. Series or compositions including text and and illustration, just like in the ancient block-books, his illustrations are always prints. The production of the modern book follows.

He has illustrated and published the books:

Spanos and the forty Dragons 1986 1991 and 2010

The prince of Venice 1994

Hambis – 25 Years of Printmaking 1995

The Fay Enchantress – Anerada 1999, 2010

The kalikangiari and the game 2005

Kalikangiari – Cypriot Tales 2006

Kalikangiari – Tales in the Cyprus Dialect 2007

He had also illustrated a large number of books by Cypriots authors.

Hambis has been honoured with four Cyprus State Awards, the AKEL Central Committee’s ”Tefkros Anthias – Theodossis Pierides” Cultural Contribution Award, and is also the holder of international distinctions.

Since 1995, he has been teaching, free of charge in remembrance of his own teacher and acclaimed printmaker A.Tassos, the art of printmaking in the Lemesos-district village Platanistia. He also taught Graphic Arts at the Secondary Technical Education level between 1987 and 2008.

In 2008, he founded the Hambis Printmaking Museum, the first of its kind in Cyprus, featuring works from many countries and dating from the 16th century to this day. The Museum forms part of a large Printmaking Centre, featuring permanent exhibitions of works by both Hambis and his students, as well as visiting exhibitions of works by other artists and the showcasing of works done at the School’s workshops.

In December 2019, he founded the Hambis Printmaking Municipal Museum in the city of Nicosia. With a completely identical purpose and mission, the new museum aspires to promote to a wider audience the art of printmaking, to enhance and contribute to the great work performed by the primary museum, interacting and complementing each other with parallel actions.

Hambis

Hambis Tsangaris borned in Kontea in 1947. Young self-taught painter and printmaker meets with A. Tassos who gives him his first printmaking lessons, in Athens in 1971. He also studied Graphic Arts at the Surikov Institute in Moscow between the years 1976 and 1982. After his studies in Moscow, he dedicates all of his life in printmaking, creating woodcuts, lithographs, etchings but mainly linocuts and screen prints. Almost his whole printed work testifies his deep love for Cyprus. After all, as his main artistic goal, he has set and has always been true to the various expressions of his homeland. His works, in direct connection with the events experienced by his country and himself, as a refugee, give an account on the ”disasters of the war”, the sorrow of uprooted people.The joys, beauties and traditions of the island are equally reflected and depicted in prints with landscapes, traditional elements of architecture and art from antiquity, and customs. Much of his work comprises illustrations of Cypriot folk tales. Series or compositions including text and and illustration, just like in the ancient block-books, his illustrations are always prints. The production of the modern book follows.

He has illustrated and published the books:

1986, 1991 and 2010

Spanos and the forty Dragons

1994

The prince of Venice

1995

Hambis – 25 Years of Printmaking

1999, 2010

The Fay Enchantress – Anerada

2005

The kalikangiari and the game

2006

Kalikangiari – Cypriot Tales

2007

Kalikangiari – Tales in the Cyprus Dialect

He had also illustrated a large number of books by Cypriots authors. Hambis has been honoured with four Cyprus State Awards, the AKEL Central Committee’s ”Tefkros Anthias – Theodossis Pierides” Cultural Contribution Award, and is also the holder of international distinctions. Since 1995, he has been teaching, free of charge in remembrance of his own teacher and acclaimed printmaker A.Tassos, the art of printmaking in the Lemesos-district village Platanistia. He also taught Graphic Arts at the Secondary Technical Education level between 1987 and 2008. In 2008, he founded the Hambis Printmaking Museum, the first of its kind in Cyprus, featuring works from many countries and dating from the 16th century to this day. The Museum forms part of a large Printmaking Centre, featuring permanent exhibitions of works by both Hambis and his students, as well as visiting exhibitions of works by other artists and the showcasing of works done at the School’s workshops. In December 2019, he founded the Hambis Printmaking Municipal Museum in the city of Nicosia. With a completely identical purpose and mission, the new museum aspires to promote to a wider audience the art of printmaking, to enhance and contribute to the great work performed by the primary museum, interacting and complementing each other with parallel actions.

Timeline

1995/ Establishment of Hambis Printmaking School in the village of Platanisteia in the province of Limassol

2005/ The first contacts and discussions for the creation of the Museum in Nicosia begin

2007/ Establishment of the non-profit organisation-company Printmaking School – Hambis Printmaking Museum

2008/ Inauguration of the Hambis Printmaking Museum in Platanistia

2019/ Inauguration of the Hambis Printmaking Municipal Museum in Nicosia

Timeline

1995

Establishment of Hambis Printmaking School in the village of Platanisteia in the province of Limassol

2005

The first contacts and discussions for the creation of the Museum in Nicosia begin

2007

Establishment of the non-profit organisation-company Printmaking School – Hambis Printmaking Museum

2008

Inauguration of the Hambis Printmaking Museum in Platanistia

2019

Inauguration of the Hambis Printmaking Municipal Museum in Nicosia

Donors

Hambis Printmaking Museum is warmly and with emotion thanking the donors of works that now belong to its collection. Among the major donors are +Jean Pierre Adam, Dimitris Alithinos, Max Andersson, Mikhail Avvakumov, Chronis Botsoglou, Stanislav Buban, Richard Burton, Andreas Charalampides, Elena Charalambous, Costas Cleanthous, Pierre & Nicole Creusot, Robert Darabos, Spyros Demetriades, Justin Diggle, + Kostas Economou, Asumi Hayashi, Toshiko Hishida, Umit Inatci, Christos Kalfas, +Sarantis Karavouzis, Wael Khaddage, Nana & +Kostis Kolotas, Glaukos Koumides, Nikos Kourousis, Yioulika Lakeridou, Stella Lantsia, Panagiotis Larkos, Rodica Lomnasan, +Jean-Paul Marchal, Nikolas Mastropavlos, Niki Menelaou, Mircea Nechita, Andreas Nicolas, Yusuke Okamura, Miyuki Okawa, Eleni Panagidou, Pino Padolfini, Liana Papaioannou, Frixos Papantoniou, +Stas Paraskos, Panagiotis Pasantas, Tamàs Patrovits, Marlene Pitta, Helène Reeb-Tsangaris, Kayoko Sakamoto-Tatsubori, Takumi Sato, Kostas Serezis, Ivan Shakhovskoy, Dimitra Siaterli, Mariam Soukhanova Foukara, Hambis Tsangaris, Universidad Nacional Autònoma de Mèxico, Evgenia Vasiloude, +Stelios Votsis,+Akis Zambartas.

Hambis Printmaking Museum

Founder

History of The Museums

Founder

Hambis

Hambis

1986, 1991 and 2010

1994

1995

1999, 2010

2005

2006

2007

Timeline

Timeline

1995

2005

2007

2008

2019

Donors

Donors

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