Vagrich Bakhchanyan facts for kids
Vagrich Bakhchanyan (born May 23, 1938, died November 12, 2009) was a talented artist and writer. He was born in Kharkiv, which is in Ukraine. His family came from Armenia.
Vagrich was known for his graphic art and designs. He was also a writer and poet. He wrote in the Russian language. He was part of a group called "Soviet nonconformist" artists. These artists created art that was different from what the government wanted.
Life of Vagrich Bakhchanyan
Vagrich Bakhchanyan was born into an Armenian family in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He grew up there and started painting. In the mid-1960s, he moved to Moscow. There he worked for a newspaper called Literaturnaya Gazeta.
In 1974, Bakhchanyan moved to the United States. He lived in New York City. He became very active in the art and writing scenes there. He worked with other writers who had moved from Russia. These included Sergei Dovlatov and Alexander Genis.
Vagrich also drew pictures for a magazine called "Vremya i My." This magazine was important for people who believed in democracy. Vagrich Bakhchanyan passed away on November 12, 2009, in New York City. He wanted his ashes to be spread in the Geghama mountains in Armenia. These mountains have very old rock carvings.
According to his friend Alexander Genis, Vagrich was very good at seeing the funny and strange parts of life in the Soviet Union. He found new ways to make art. His ideas helped other artists who also wanted to create art freely. Many of his clever jokes became famous among people who disagreed with the Soviet government.
Where You Can See His Art
Vagrich Bakhchanyan's artwork is kept in many important museums around the world. Here are some of them:
- Museum of Modern Art, New York City, United States
- National Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
- Museum of Actual Art ART4U, Moscow, Russia
- Tretiakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia
- Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Yerevan Modern Art Museum, Yerevan, Armenia
- Museum of National Arts of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
- J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, United States
- Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Bar-Gera Collection, Cologne, Germany
- Paul and Berty Quaedvlieg Collection, Netherlands
- Stella Art Foundation, Moscow, Russia
- Markin Collection, Moscow, Russia
Books by Vagrich Bakhchanyan
Vagrich Bakhchanyan also wrote many books. Here are some of his works:
- 1981 — Autobiography of a Forty-Year-Old Author
- 1981 — Visual diary: 1/1/80 — 12/31/80
- 1985 — Démarche of Enthusiasts (written with Sergei Dovlatov and Naum Sagalovsky)
- 1986 — Signac under the Eye: Pointillaviv Poem
- 1986 — Nulla dies sine linea, Year's End Report
- 1986 — Poems from Various Years
- 2003 — Eddy of Flies: Artricks
- 2006 — Eddy of Flies: Artricks. Not by bread alone. (Menu-Collage)
- 2005 — Cherry Hell and other Plays
- 2010 — Essays by Vagrich Bakhchanyan
- 2011 — From Notebooks of Vagrich Bakhchanyan
