At the initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia, representatives of London's renowned Sotheby's Auction House are in Yerevan on a working visit from 14 to 17 June. The primary objective of the visit is to establish effective professional and institutional ties between Armenia's cultural organizations and the Auction House.
RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan received today Alina Davey, Regional Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Edward Gibbs, Chairman for the Middle East and India at Sotheby's.
ESCS Deputy Minister Alfred Kocharyan and Director of the Cultural Development Foundation, Karen Avetisyan, attended the meeting. The participants discussed the reforms currently implemented in Armenia in the field of cultural auctions, as well as opportunities to expand international cooperation.
Welcoming the guests, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan noted that the commercialization of culture and strengthening the role of culture in public life are among the key priorities set out in the RA Government Program and the Strategy for the Preservation, Development and Popularization of Culture 2023–2027.
The Minister informed that last year Armenia adopted the Law of the Republic of Armenia on the Organization of Cultural Auctions, which aims to regulate the economic relations emerging in the art market, foster cooperation among art galleries, auction houses and artists, and promote the transparent and competitive development of the sector. She emphasized that, during the drafting of the law, extensive research was conducted into leading international practices and regulatory mechanisms, drawing in particular on the experience of France, the United Kingdom and Greece, as well as the operating procedures of internationally renowned auction houses.
Zhanna Andreasyan underlined that the state is taking consistent steps to strengthen cooperation with leading international auction houses, which will contribute to enhancing Armenia's standing and reputation in the global art market. According to her, Armenia has the potential to turn into an important regional hub for cultural auctions, the circulation of works of art, and international professional cooperation, given the country's rich cultural heritage, creative potential and the ongoing reforms in cultural policy.
The ESCS Minister also presented the “Academic City” project, noting that cooperation has already been launched with internationally renowned higher education institutions, including the University of the Arts London, to establish the Arts Cluster of the Academic City,
The meeting also addressed potential scope of cooperation, including the implementation of professional training programs, the exchange of expertise and capacity-building initiatives.
The sides further discussed opportunities to promote the involvement of Armenian contemporary artists, emerging creators and representatives of new artistic disciplines in international auctions and exhibition platforms, thereby increasing their international visibility and access to global markets.
The representatives of Sotheby's London Auction House highly commended the legislative and institutional reforms undertaken in Armenia in the field of cultural auctions, emphasizing that these constitute an important foundation for expanding international cooperation and developing a competitive regional art market. Presenting the auction house's key scope of activity, they reiterated their willingness to cooperate with Armenia, including through the exchange of information on exceptional examples of Armenian cultural heritage and support for their potential acquisition.
In this regard, they specifically referred to the RA Government's recent acquisition, at an international auction in London, of an exceptional piece of Armenian cultural heritage, a carved wooden church door dating back to 1188, which has been transferred to Armenia.
The parties underscored the significance of ensuring the continuity of their cooperation and expressed confidence that the incorporation of international expertise and the strengthening of professional capacities will contribute to the development of cultural auctions in Armenia, enhance the sector's international profile, and expand opportunities for regional cooperation.
As part of their visit, the representatives of Sotheby's also plan to hold consultative meetings with the directors of Armenian museums to discuss issues related to the further development of cooperation.