Arshile Gorky on exhibit in Yerevan, Armenia

armradio.am
17.10.2009 15:35

The first major exhibition in Yerevan of original work by the
American-Armenian artist Arshile Gorky will take place at the
Cafesjian Center from 8 November 2009 through 31 January 2010. Arshile
Gorky: Selections from the Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection will exhibit
16 drawings and 7 paintings by the man who would become known as the
most monumental presence in American twentieth-century art. This is
the first major exhibition of original work in Armenia by Arshile
Gorky, an artist once described by a critic of the time as a `hero of
Abstract Expressionism.’

`The many preliminary drawings and oil sketches in this exhibition
provide unparalleled insight into Gorky’s unique working method,’ Dr.
Michael De Marsche, Executive Director of the Cafesjian Center for the
Arts, recently stated. `Gorky’s complex, large-scale compositions of
cohesive design and universal theme continue to be viewed as some of
the finest examples of American art at mid-century,’ added Dr. De
Marsche.

Arshile Gorky fled Western Armenia during the genocide of 1915 and
witnessed the death of his mother from starvation. After living in
Yerevan for a period of time, he arrived in the United States in 1920
at the age of fifteen. Gorky remained passionate about Armenia
throughout his life. In the many letters he sent to his brother Moorad
and sister Vartoosh, he expressed a longing to return to Western
Armenia, and wrote poetically about every possible aspect of the land:
the ancient khachkars of its villages; the salty air of his native
region of Van; the fragrance of the country’s mountain air; the dolma
he ate as a youth; and, of course, his beloved Mount Ararat, `the
brain of nature,’ as he described it, `ordaining its movements.’

Arshile Gorky eventually became one of the most influential painters
of the twentieth century, and just as his career was reaching new
heights, his life ended tragically in suicide in 1948. The Gorky
exhibition will be one of many exhibitions commemorating the opening
of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts: a fitting tribute to a man whose
death 60 years ago has been marked by major exhibitions of his work in
museums throughout the world, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art
and London’s Tate Modern.

The Cafesjian Center for the Arts Grand Opening Celebration will begin
on the evening of Saturday, November 7th, with a spectacular fireworks
display near the Cascade monument. The Cascade has been completely
transformed into one of the world’s outstanding contemporary art
centers. On Sunday, November 8th, the Center invites the public to
view all the renovations that have taken place inside the Cascade, and
to enjoy an outstanding schedule of exhibitions, lectures,
book-signings, and events.