Armenian Library & Museum of America (ALMA <; )
<; 65 Main Street, Watertown MA 02472
Phone. 617.926.2562 ~ Email: info@almainc.org <mailto:info@almainc.org>
~ Website: <;

MAY 7, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT:
MARIAM STEPANYAN
617-926-2562 X3

ALMA PARTICIPATES IN "ARMENIA IN FRANCE"

The Armenian Library and Museum of America, Inc. (ALMA) of Watertown,
Massachusetts is proud to have honored a request by the French
government to lend six rare and unique objects from ALMA’s Bedoukian and
Karabian Collections for a major exhibit at the "Vielle Charite" in
Marseille, France. The artifacts are currently displayed as part of the
exhibition "Armenie: La Magie de l’Ecrit" which is part of the French
government-sponsored events currently celebrating the "Year of Armenia"
in France. This particular exhibit honors the 1,600th anniversary of
the creation of the Armenian alphabet. It opened on April 27 and will
continue through July 22, 2007.

The curators of this exhibit are Claude Mutafian, Doctor in History,
Sorbonne, Dickran Kouymjian, Director of Armenian Studies, California
State University, Fresno, California and Jean-Piere Mahe, Professor at
the "Ecole Pratique de Hautes Etudes," Paris, France .

Through the display of manuscripts, documents, printed books, and also
of inscriptions on works on various materials (stone, metal, wood,
cloth, rug and ceramic), the exhibition illustrates how Mesrop Mashtots
created the national alphabet at the very beginning of the 5th century.
This epochal invention resulted in the survival and strengthening of a
national Armenian identity, in spite of a particularly agitated history,
both rich and tragic.

On exhibit from ALMA are:

From ALMA’s Bedoukian Collection:

· A dagger with sheath made for Sarkis in 1806

· An 18th-century blue ceramic bowl with ligatured lettering
made in Isfahan

· An engraved copper plaque in memory of David of Amasya made
in 1553

· An engraved large copper tray made for the Catholicos in
1735

From ALMA’s Walter and Laurel Karabian Collection

· An 18th-century shallow Kutahya bowl with ligatured
inscription

· A memorial Kutahya ceramic tile with Armenian text made in
1727

Because these requested treasures are both very valuable and fragile,
ALMA required exceptional safeguards to ensure the safety of these
artifacts during transportation and while on exhibit in Marseille.
Transportation and insurance through Lloyds of London were at an
estimated cost of $20,000 borne by the French Ministry.

This is the third time ALMA has been involved in European exhibits.
Last year, it loaned a priceless object for exhibit in Berlin, Germany.
Some years ago, under ALMA’s then Chairman, Arthur T. Gregorian, ALMA
mounted an exhibit in Marseille of inscribed Armenian rugs from its
valuable and unique Arthur T. Gregorian Collection.

It should also be mentioned that during the past few years ALMA has been
visited for filming on three or four occasions by professional
documentary companies based in Western Europe.

It is surprising that the Armenian-American press has given little
coverage to the fact that never before in world history have there been
more exhibits about Armenia and Armenian art and culture in any one
country than is now ongoing in France. There are and have been many
hundreds of exhibits, concerts, dance programs, films, photographic
exhibits, and other activities during this year. Laurel Karabian,
ALMA’s Vice-President of Los Angeles, California, who negotiated the
arrangements, visited exhibits in Paris and Marseille and observed that
they were marvelously mounted, sparing no expense, and accompanied by
very costly, scholarly and informative catalogues richly adorned with
numerous color photographs. This elaborate undertaking called
"Armenie-mon-amie" has been estimated to cost the French government at
least fifty million dollars.

In Paris alone, on exhibit, among many other exhibits in Paris, are
"Armenie Sacre" at the Louvre (which ends on May 21), an extensive,
ongoing Aivazovski exhibition called "Poetry of the Sea", at the Musée
de la Marine, "Books of Armenia" at the National Biblioteque of France,
"Paradjanov the Magnificent" at Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, "Sarian
or the Colors of Armenie" at the Musee Francais, Exhibits of the works
of Jean Carzou, two ongoing retrospectives of the works of Arshile
Gorky, an exhibit called "Painters in Armenia 1830-1930" at the Petite
Palais Museum of Fine Arts, "The Capital Ani and its Churches",
"Armenia, Christian land in the Caucasus" and many others. One should
check the schedules and locations to see which exhibits are ongoing and
which will be mounted in the future.

For schedules and locations in Paris and throughout all of France, visit
<; and
select the region of your interest. At the website, one can select any
particular region of France in which one may be interested to see the
schedule of current activities and events for such region. For
activities in Paris, click on "Index ile-de-france".