Dolls: An Open Window to a Magical World
14 December 2016 – 26 March 2017
An exhibition akin to a fairy tale
As earnestly as ever, the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia is ready to host yet another exhibition, a window onto the magical world of dolls. Featuring highlights from the collection of Aleca Economou-Demetriades, this fairy-tale exhibition displays dolls both as a child’s toy and as decorative objects, collector’s items and a fashion trend during the period from the late 19th century to the early 20th.
The rich collection of Aleca Economou-Demetriades features dolls signed by famous makers and visual artists. It includes authentic or equally rare replicas of important creators, such as the sculptor Albert Marque, the Bru, Jumeau, Kestner and Lenci doll makers, but also Armand Marseille, whose immense production reached America. Also on display are the famous boudoir dolls that used to decorate the reception rooms (boudoirs) that served as antechambers to a woman’s bedroom and enthralled Europe and America between 1915 and 1930.
About the collector
Aleca Economou-Demetriades was born and raised in Limassol. From an early age she began collecting dolls, launching her collection with her childhood doll, a Shirley Temple. The doll was named and fashioned after the famous young actress who took the film industry by storm in the 1930s. The largest part of Aleca Economou-Demetriades’s collection took shape during her stay in Washington, DC, where she had access to antique markets and auctions.
The fairy tale
Aleca’s dolls are not mere items that make up a rare and interesting collection. Their collector has given them names and placed them within a custom-made magical world. The public will have the opportunity to get to know this world through the publication titled Καλοκαιρινές διακοπές, 1963 [Summer vacation, 1963], in which Aleca’s dolls come alive and take us on exciting adventures. Authored by Aleca Economou-Demetriades, the book is published by En Typois Publications. It will be available for sale at the Shop of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia. Part of the proceeds will be used to enrich the Museum’s Collections and enhance the educational programmes offered for free by the Leventis Municipal Museum.
The exhibition will be inaugurated by Fotini Papadopoulou, Trustee of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, on Wednesday, 14 December 2016, at 19.30, at the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, 15-17 Ippokratous St, 1011, Laiki Geitonia, Nicosia. It will run until 26 March 2017, with special tours, educational programmes and other relevant events taking place throughout its duration.
Sponsor: A. G. Leventis Foundation
Supported by: Nicosia Municipality, Association of the Friends of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia
