PHOTOGRAPHER VAHAN KOCHAR AWARDED PRIZE OF YEREVAN PRESS CLUB
Noyan Tapan
July 28, 2009
YEREVAN, JULY 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. During the awarding
taken place on the occasion of the 14th foundation anniversary
of Yerevan Press Club Photographer Vahan Kochar was rewarded for
the Armenian Photographers book-album with the prize after famous
photo-reporter, YPC founding member Ruben Mangasarian who untimely
died.
Tatul Hakobian for the Green and Black: Artsakh Dairy book, Shant
TV company commentator Artyom Yerkanian for the Armenians, Forgive
Us film, Internews organization for From Belfast to Balkans series
of films and Yerkir Media TV company for the effective cooperation
with the YPC.
It is necessary to mention that the presentation of Vahan Kochar’s
book was organized this April 20 at the Academy gallery in Yerevan,
under the sponsorship of the RA Ministry of Diaspora. 15 Armenian
photographers’ exhibition was also opened on the same day. Vahan
Kochar’s Armenian Photographers book-album was represented during it.
RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobian appreciated at the opening
of the exhibition the work done by Vahan Kochar, mentioning that
the book-album has a great encyclopedic and information meaning. The
Minister also mentioned that Vahan Kochar laid foundations with this
book-album for creation of a net among Armenian photographers and
congratulated the artist on the occasion of his 60th anniversary.
Continuing the work started by his father, famous photographer Andranik
Kochar, Kochar finished the work started by the later, publishing
the book-album dedicated to world-spread Armenian photographers. The
edited English two-volume version of the book is being prepared now.
The Armenian Photographers dictionary book-album was published in
late 2007, with 488 pages, with the print run of 1000 copies, under
the sponsorship of former Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Margarian.
The book is a complete encyclopedia of the photographic heritage
of Diaspora and Homeland. About 480 Armenian photographers’ names
are mentioned in the book. 300 of them are represented with their
biographies and photos, and names of 180 of them were found out and
placed on different photographic stamps and envelopes.
It is enough to list names of those photographers whose art got a
world fame: Canadian Armenian Yousuf Karsh, Arto Kavuk, Constantinople
Armenian Ara Guller, American Armenian Harry Koundakjian and many
others.
Vahan Kochar made the first attempt With implemented voluminous work
to complete the Armenian photographic art’s history.
Vahan Kochar was born on January 25, 1949, in Yerevan. His father,
famous photographer Andranik Kochar is an Egyptian Armenian who
repatriated to Armenia in 1947. Vahan Kochar left Kojoyan Art School
and gratuated from Abovian Pedagogical Institute. He is a member of the
USSR Journalists’ Union. He was awarded a UNESCO prize for the Museum
book at the 1998 Frankfurt International Exhibition. He was awarded
Armenian publishers’prize in 2002, for Razmik Davoyan’s "Bread of
Soul" book. He is the artistic editor and artist of numerous Armenian
painters’ book-albums published in Armenia during the last decades.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
