The family’s modesty can do harm to the museum: Martiros Sarian’s 125th
anniversary
By Hovhannes Yeranian
Yerkir/arm
11 March 05
125th anniversary of one of the greatest Armenian artists, Martiros
Sarian was recently celebrated. Due to the efforts of the personnel of
Sarian’s house-museum the museum visitors can see more and more
valuable exhibits telling about the great artist’s life. Last year
Sarian’s granddaughter, art critic Ruzan Sarian was appointed director
of the museum. We asked Mrs. Sarian to share with us the problems of
the museum.
Martiros Sarian lived in this house from 1932 to 1967. In 1964, the
Armenian government made an unprecedented decision to create the
artist’s house-museum. `Many people were visiting Sarian’s house and
his paintingswere all over the place. The creation of the museum put
an end to this inconvenience=80=9D, Ruzan Sarian remembers.
Currently, Sarian’s relatives live in the house and this is good
because they manage to preserve the great artist’s spirit. However,
Mrs. Sarian also believes that the family’s modesty can do harm to the
museum. She is dissatisfied with reconstruction works implemented in
the museum through one of the Lincy Foundation projects.
`Now when we are celebrating Sarian’s anniversary we do notfeel
comfortable receiving guests at the museum because the parquet floors
on the second floor are in a very poor condition. During the
reconstruction works the parquet flooring was covered with low-quality
Turkish varnish that has rapidly decayed and now the flooring needs to
be replaced’, Mrs. Sarian said.
Reconstruction of Sarian’s museum seems to be the lowest quality
project implemented by Lincy Foundation’s Culture Project. Mrs. Sarian
is very upset about the ventilation and heating systems installed at
the museum noting that the huge system is not appropriate for the
museum since it produces a lot of noise.
The museum also had problems with heating. Mrs. Sarian told that this
year ArmenTel Company covered the heating costs this year but next
winter the museum is most likely to experience similar problems
again. Even though there is a gas line on Sarian street, provision of
natural gas for the museum was not included into the reconstruction
project implemented by the Lincy Foundation.
Mrs. Sarian also informed us about various events that will be held in
the framework of celebrations of the great artist’s 125th
anniversary.`A documental-memorial exhibition hall will soon be opened
with special funding allocated for the anniversary. It is necessary to
exhibit not only the works of the great painter but also tell the
public about his life and his civil activities’, Mrs. Sarian noted.
She shared with us some interesting information regarding Sarian’s
life. `In 1915 the Moscow-based Armenian Committee delegated Sarian to
Yerevan the organize assistance to the refugees that had escaped the
Genocide. I would also like to mention that Sarian signed many of the
petitions sent to Moscow by Armenian intellectuals in 1960’s demanding
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and reunification of the Western
Armenian lands and Artsakh’, Mrs. Sarian told.
An album telling about the museum will be published with funding
provided by the government. It will contain 150-200 color photos. A
series of exhibitions will be held. An exhibition titled `Sarian and
Russia’ willbe opened in June. A governmental reception will be held
at the Opera and Ballet Theaterin November.
Most of Sarian’s paintings are abroad, mainly in Russia. This is
natural because the artist started painting in 1910’s and earned his
livingby selling his works. Within the framework of the anniversary
celebrations the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow will organize a special
exhibition of Sarian’s early works. In 2006 Sarian’s individual
exhibition will be opened in Mayol Museum in Paris.
Only a small portion of Sarian’s paintings were bought and returnedto
the museum. `Geghama Mountains’ is one of such
paintings. GarikBasmachian bought the painting at an auction in New
York and donated it to the museum.
There were several other donations but since the paintings are very
expensive it is impossible to return all of the artist’s works to the
museum collection. Instead, it is planned to publish an album of all
of Sarian’s paintings.