Ara Sargsyan
Ara Sargsyan was an Armenian sculptor, People's Artist of the USSR, academic of the Russian Academy of Arts.
Biography
Sargsyan was born in the Armenian village of Makri, near Constantinople. He finished the local Armenian school, then Constantinople Art School and studied under the famed Ottoman Armenian sculptor Yervant Voskan. He moved to Athens, Greece in 1920 and further to Rome and Vienna where he studied sculpture till 1925. Sargsyan excelled at Vienna School of Masters.In 1925 Ara Sargsyan moved to Soviet Armenia.
Legacy
Most recognizable works of Ara Sargsyan are the monuments of Mother Armenia in Gyumri, Hovhannes Tumanyan and Alexander Spendiarian statues in front of Yerevan Opera house, and the statues of Mesrop Mashtots and Sahak Partev in front of Yerevan State University.Ara Sargsyan was a prolific teacher and influenced numerous artists, e.g. Rafik Khachatryan.
Sargsyan's house in Yerevan has been converted into a Museum where most of his works are presented.
Exhibitions
- City Art Exhibition of the House of Armenian Culture, Constantinople, 1921
- Participated in the exhibition of Viennese artists for the first time with portraits of musicologist R. Robert and pianist V. Simonovic, and was highly praised by the press, 1922
- Spring Exhibition of the Society of Artists in Vienna, 1923
- For the first time participated in the exhibition of Armenian artists in Armenia, 1926
- The USSR People's Art Jubilee Exhibition in Moscow, 1927
- The exhibition of engravings and drawings of ARSU. Kiev, 1928
- Participated in "10 Years" Fine Arts Exhibition in Yerevan, 1930
- 11th Anniversary of Armenia's Fine Arts Exhibition in Yerevan, 1931
- Exhibition "15 Years of the Red Army". Yerevan, 1933
- Exhibition "Activities of Artists and Сculptors of Armenia for 13 Years" Yerevan, 1933
- Exhibition "Fine Arts of Transcaucasia". 1st Transcaucasian Olympiad of Art. Tbilisi, 1934
- Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Arm SSR awarded him the title of "Honored Artist" for his services in the field of fine arts, 1935
- He is elected a member of the Transcaucasian Central Executive Committee, 1935
- Exhibition "15 Years of Fine Art". Yerevan, 1935
- Exhibition "The Soviet Constitution." Yerevan, 1937
- World Exhibition. New York, 1938
- The Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded him the medal "Order of Honor" for outstanding achievements in the field of fine arts, 1939
- Exhibition of Fine Arts of the Armenian SSR. Moscow-Leningrad, 1939
- Mobile exhibition of works of artists and sculptors of the Armenian SSR. Armenia, 1939
- Anniversary exhibition of fine arts of Armenia for 20 years. Yerevan, 1940
- Exhibition of Fine Arts of Armenia for 20 years. Tbilisi, 1941
- Exhibition "Artists of Armenia in the Great Patriotic War". Yerevan, 1942
- "Hero of the Red Army" exhibition. Yerevan, 1942
- Jubilee exhibition "The Great Patriotic War", dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia, 1942
- Exhibition "For the Motherland". Yerevan, 1943
- Exhibition of works of artists of Armenia. Moscow, 1944
- Awarded the Order of Honor of the second degree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 1945
- Exhibition of Fine Arts of Armenia. Yerevan, 1945
- Anniversary exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia. Yerevan, 1945
- Exhibition of Fine Arts of the Armenian SSR, Moscow, 1946
- Receives the title of Professor of Sculpture, 1947
- Elected deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 1947
- All-Union Art Exhibition. Moscow, 1947
- The jubilee exhibition of works of artists of Armenia, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Yerevan, 1947
- Exhibition of works of artists of Armenia, dedicated to the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Armenia. Yerevan, 1948
- Exhibition of Soviet art in Armenia, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Soviet Army. Yerevan, 1948
- Elected Corresponding Member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1949
- Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR assigns him the title of People's Artist of Armenia, 1950
- The exhibition of fine arts of Armenia, dedicated to the XXX anniversary of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia. Yerevan All-Union Art Exhibition. Moscow, 1950
- Elected to the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Armenia. SSR, 1951
- Art exhibition. Yerevan, 1952
- Exhibition of works of members of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Moscow, 1952
- The third exhibition of works of full members and corresponding members of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Moscow, 1954
- Exhibition of Fine Arts of the Armenian SSR. Moscow, 1956
- Exhibition of paintings and graphics of the First All-Union Congress of Soviet Artists. Moscow, 1957
- All-Union Art Exhibition dedicated to the Great October Socialist Revolution.. Moscow, 1957
- Exhibition of Fine Arts of the Armenian SSR, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Yerevan, 1957
- Exhibition of works of full members and corresponding members of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Moscow, 1957
- Selected as a full member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1958
- Exhibition of works of fine art of the socialist countries. Moscow-Leningrad, 1958
- "Our contemporary". Exhibition of works of full members, honorary members անդ corresponding members of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, Moscow, 1959
- Republican art exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia. Yerevan, 1960
- All-Union Art Exhibition. Moscow, 1961
- For the first time in Yerevan and Moscow exhibition of 40 years of creative activity with demonstration of about 400 works is organized, 1962
- Аwarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR by the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 12, 1963
- On April 16, a solo exhibition of his work in the halls of the USSR Academy of Arts was held in Moscow, 1963
- Participates in the exhibition of Painters' Union in Yerevan with his monumental memorial "Mother Armenia", 1968
- Posthumously awarded the title of laureate of the USSR State Prize, 1971
- Monumental memorial "Mother Armenia" is exhibited in the "Soviet Pavilion" of the international exhibition "Expo 74" in Spokane, USA, 1974
- The monumental memorial "Mother Armenia" is exhibited in the "Pavilion of Armenia" at the international exhibition in Buenos Aires, 1976