Andreas Karayan was born in Nicosia in 1943 and died on 27 March 2026.

After graduating from the Pancyprian Gymnasium, he left for Athens, where he studied Medicine at the University of Athens from 1960 to 1967. In 1968, he moved to England and studied art at Camberwell and the Central School of Art in London. After receiving his diploma in 1972, he continued his training in engraving in Stuttgart, Germany. In 1974, he returned to London to pursue studies in education. He lived between Cyprus and Greece and was also active as an art, theatre and cinema critic, as well as an icon painter.

His work was presented in numerous solo exhibitions, including at Vitrine Gallery in Stuttgart in 1977; Ora Gallery in Athens in 1978, 1981, 1985 and 1992; Am Savignyplatz Gallery in Berlin in 1990 and 1995; and the Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Athens in 1995, in a special exhibition dedicated to Cavafy. He also exhibited in Nicosia and Limassol between 1979 and 1994.

Andreas Karayan established himself as one of the most important Cypriot figurative painters, portraying everyday life with particular emphasis on the male figure, which became one of his central subjects. His compositions are marked by a poetic sensibility, expressed through a selective colour palette and sensitive gradations of light. Works such as *Two Soldiers* reveal his careful sense of balance and technical skill.

Karayan presented his work in many group and solo exhibitions in Cyprus, Greece, Germany and Egypt. He also represented Cyprus at the 2001 Venice Biennale.