Armenian Art Treasures Saved From Genocide
A Lecture by
Dr. Levon Chookaszian
UNESCO Professor of Armenian Art History,
Yerevan State University
Co-Sponsored by
The Ararat-Eskijian Museum
and The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
Sunday, January 27, 2013, 4:00 p.m.
Ararat-Eskijian Museum, Hasmik Mgrdichian Gallery, 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills, CA, USA
During the years of the Armenian Genocide in 1915-1922 not only 1.5 million Armenians were killed but also thousands of Armenian art treasures were destroyed and looted by the Turks and Kurds. The gold and silver objects, illustrated manuscripts, carpets, liturgical textiles, and carved woodworks were stolen from Armenian churches and the deported Armenian refugees and sold in world markets, especially in Near Eastern countries and in European auctions.
Numerous artifacts were gathered by two expeditions working in 1916 in Western Armenia, one of which was sent by the Russian Imperial Academy to Western Armenian territories and the other sent by the Catholicos in Etchmiadzin. Through the efforts of scholars and others involved in those expeditions, numerous artifacts were discovered and transferred to Etchmiadzin. Thousands of silver objects and illustrated manuscripts were saved by Armenian refugees who survived and reached Etchmiadzin or European countries and the U.S.
The relics of the Catholicosate of Cilicia at Sis that were transported by monks to Aleppo, Syria, and later to Antelias in Lebanon and those that were gathered by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem can be considered as Armenian art treasures saved from the Genocide. During the last 100 years many Armenian art treasures saved from the Genocide have appeared in museums and private collections in different countries.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact the Ararat-Eskijian Museum at 818-838-4862 or Ararat-eskijian-museum@netzero.net or NAASR at 617-489-1610 or hq@naasr.org. There will be a book signing and reception after the event.