Arthur Sarkissian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur Sarkissian
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| Nationality | Armenian |
| Alma mater | Yerevan State Pedagogical University |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Post-modernism |
| Spouse(s) |
Irena Medavoy
(m. 1981; div. 1984) |
Arthur Sarkissian (Armenian: Արթուր Սարգսյան) is a famous artist and painter from Armenia. He is known for his unique style of art, which often combines painting with other techniques.
Contents
Life and Education
Arthur Sarkissian studied art in his home country. In 1977, he went to the School of Fine Arts in Yerevan. Later, in 1989, he studied drawing at the Yerevan State Pedagogical University. Today, he continues to live and create his art in Yerevan, Armenia.
What is Arthur Sarkissian's Art Style?
Sarkissian's art is mostly abstract art. This means his paintings don't show real-life things exactly as they are. Instead, they use shapes, colors, and textures to express ideas and feelings.
Art After the Soviet Union
He developed his style after the Soviet Union ended. He wanted to create art that was free and different from what was allowed before. He once said in 2005 that he wanted to "free myself from Socialist Realism." Socialist Realism was an art style that had to show happy, strong workers and leaders, following strict government rules.
How Does Sarkissian Create His Art?
Arthur Sarkissian often mixes different methods in his paintings. He combines traditional painting with silkscreen printing. This allows him to add interesting elements to his canvases. He might include text, photos, signs, or even parts of other paintings. He blends oil paint with everyday items he finds.
This way of mixing many different things in art is called a "collage aesthetic." It's like making a collage, where you put different pieces together to create something new. Many famous artists before him, like Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso, also used similar ideas. Sarkissian shows that this "collage" way of making art is still very important today.
What is Closed Session?
One of his special artworks is an installation called Closed Session. An installation is a type of art that uses a space and objects to create an experience. Closed Session features a row of seven chairs of different sizes. Each chair stands on four lit lightbulbs.
A curator named Sonia Balassanian described this piece. She said it was a "satirical reference to self-aggrandizing decision-makers." This means it makes fun of important people who think too highly of themselves.
You can see some of Arthur Sarkissian's work at the Museum of Modern Art in Yerevan.
Notable Works by Arthur Sarkissian
Here are some of Arthur Sarkissian's well-known artworks:
- Mind Games (2003) – a large oil painting.
- Game in the Museum (2005) – a mixed media piece on canvas.
- Evening in the museum (2005) – another mixed media work.
- 20 Pages (2006) – an oil painting.
- Three colour stains (2006) – mixed media on canvas.
- Closed Session (2007) – the mixed media installation mentioned above.
- Nervus Probandi (2009) – an oil painting.
- Image Stripes (2011) – an oil painting that was sold at a famous auction house, Christie's, in London.
Exhibitions and Shows
Arthur Sarkissian's art has been shown in many places around the world.
Solo Exhibitions
These are shows where only his art was displayed:
- 1994 – Bossen Cultural Center, Saarbrücken, Germany
- 1998 – JNR Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2003 – Mind Games, First Floor Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2006 – First Floor Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2008 – Museum of Modern Art, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2009 – Between The Images, One Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2010 – Between The Images 2, 1927 Gallery, Fine Arts Building, Los Angeles, California
- 2010 – Between The Images 3, Artology Gallery 101, Los Angeles, California
- 2013 – "Artist Retrospective 2011–2013 and Catalogue Presentation" Dalan Art Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia
Group Exhibitions
These are shows where his art was displayed alongside other artists' work:
- 1989 – "Art of the USSR: The Past 50 Years", Madrid, Spain
- 1991 – "New Tendencies in Art", Goyak Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia
- 1991 – "Contemporary Art From Armenia", The New Academy Gallery, London, UK
- 1992 – "Contemporary Armenian Artists", Gallery Vision, Kassel, Germany
- 1992 – "Armenian Post-Modernism", Moscow, Russia
- 1997 – "Dreams & Visions", Art Benefit, Chicago, Illinois, US
- 1999 – "Windows to Armenia" and "With Many Voices", Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, Illinois, US
- 2005 – "Armenian Contemporary Art", Harvest Gallery, Glendale, California, US
- 2005 – Marie Pargas Art Gallery, Asheville, NC, US
- 2005 – The Collection Of Viken Makhyan, AGBU Pasadena Center, US
- 2005 – "Photo Plus", ACCEA, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2006 – "Art Without Borders", Havana Gallery, Oldenburg, Germany
- 2007 – "Armenian Landscapes in Contemporary Art", EWZ, Zurich, Switzerland
- 2007 – "5 Armenian Artists", Marcel, France
- 2007 – "Armenian Contemporary Art", Paris, France
- 2008 – "Undercurrent Shifts", ACCEA, curated by Sonia Balassanian and David Kareyan
- 2009 – "Transitional Hypothesis", group exhibition of Armenian-Japanese artists, ACCEA
- 2010 – "Colors of Armenia Exhibition" Yerevan, Armenia
- 2010 – "Colors of Armenia Exhibition" Marseille, France
- 2010 – "OPTIMIZM, Armenian New Art" Artists Union, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2011 – "Art Cube Gallery" Group Exhibition Laguna Beach, California, US
- 2011 – "Dalan Art Gallery" Group Exhibition Yerevan, Armenia
- 2013 – "Dalan Art Gallery" Group Exhibition New Local Art, Yerevan, Armenia
- 2013 – "Saatchi Gallery" Burning Bright at Hyatt Regency London – London, UK
Gallery
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A Fabricated Page, 2006, oil on canvas, 70x90cm
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Twenty Color Pages, 2002, oil on canvas, 195x125cm.
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Nervus Probandus, 2009, oil on canvas,
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13 Colour Scriptums, 2009, oil on canvas, 80x110cm.
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Evening in the Museum, 2005, oil on canvas, 95x175cm.
Sold at the Koller Auktionen Zürich -
Cronicle, 2008, oil on canvas
