The “The Face of Humanity: Surenyants’ ‘The Abandoned’ and ‘Humanist Art’” international exhibition has opened at the National Gallery of Armenia.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is ‘The Abandoned’, a masterpiece by Vardges Surenyants, presented on an exceptional loan from the National Museum of Arts named after Abylkhan Kasteyev in Kazakhstan.
The opening ceremony was attended by ESCS Deputy Ministers Alfred Kocharyan and Tigran Virabyan; Chargé d’Affaires of Kazakhstan in Armenia Alikhan Akhmetov; Director of the National Museum of Arts named after Abylkhan Kasteyev Gulaim Zhumabekova, diplomats, representatives of the museum and cultural sectors of Armenia and Kazakhstan, and art enthusiasts.
Deputy Minister Alfred Kocharyan expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to making the exhibition possible, including the Kazakh partners.
“This is a significant event in our cultural life, first and foremost on an emotional level: 130 years later, we have the opportunity to see the masterpiece ‘The Abandoned ‘ by the renowned master Vardges Surenyants at the National Gallery of Armenia. The event is also significant in terms of the continued advancement of sustainable Armenian-Kazakh relations,” he stated.
He noted that cultural cooperation between the two countries continues to advance, recalling Kazakhstan Culture Days in Armenia and Armenian Culture Days in Kazakhstan held in previous years, as well as the events organized as part of those programs.
Presenting the history of the painting, Marina Hakobyan, Director of the National Gallery of Armenia, noted that it was created against the backdrop of historical events of profound significance to the Armenian people, while Surenyants’ genius lay in elevating this reality to a universal human level.
“Today, discussions surrounding this painting are not about specific historical events, but about universal human issues, with humanism at their core. The title of the exhibition was chosen deliberately: at its centre is the human being as an absolute value,” she said.
For the first time, three key monumental works from Surenyants’ artistic legacy have been brought together in a single exhibition space, forming a cohesive triptych: ‘The Abandoned’ (1894), ‘Desecrated Sanctity’ (1895), and ‘After the Massacre’ (1898).
The exhibition also features works by Panos Terlemezian, Sarkis Khatchadourian, Zhirayr Oragyan, Mariam Aslamazian, Arminé Kalents and other artists, revealing the broader evolution of humanistic thought in art. Two works from the collection of the History Museum of Armenia are also on display, alongside the historic door of the Church of St. Apostles depicted in Surenyants’ ‘The Abandoned’.
The international exhibition “The Face of Humanity: Surenyants’ ‘The Abandoned’ and ‘Humanist Art” is curated by Vigen Galstyan.