The Armenia Art Project is a multi-year project dedicated to promoting and contextualizing Armenian modern and contemporary art globally.
Armenian art spanning a vast geography and created both within the homeland and across the diaspora . It offers a distinct vision and cultural narrative shaped by historical, cultural, and personal experiences, showcasing the resilience of Armenian identity and its contributions to global art especially in modern times.
Beyond figures like Kochar and Gorky, there are many other fascinating artists such as Arman Manookian and Leon Tutundjian who made significant contributions to their respective art movements. Manookian, known as “Hawaii’s Van Gogh,” became a prominent modernist, shaping Hawaii’s cultural landscape. Tutundjian, a founding member of the Abstraction-Création group played a key role in advancing abstract art and constructivism, integrating geometric abstraction and surrealism to bridge these movements.
And yet, despite its notable contributions, it has often been overlooked, and there remains a significant gap in international awareness and academic research focused on Armenian art from modernity to the present. There are several reasons: the absence of a unified cultural policy and movement, limited institutional support, and the dispersion of Armenian artists worldwide due to historical migrations. Furthermore, the unique blend of influences from Caucasian, Russian, and Middle Eastern art created an aesthetic that, while distinct, often stood apart from mainstream modernist movements.
The project aims to achieve that through a multifaceted approach encompassing exhibitions, educational initiatives, publications and international collaborations.