Edman Ayvazyan

Biography

The first exhibition known from Edman Ayvazyan’s biography dates from 1949: a group show of Persian-Armenian artists of the “Union of Culture” in Tehran. He was sixteen or so, and in 1948 he had already won an award at a competition for young artists.

He was born in Tehran into an Armenian family; the dates differ: 10 August 1932 is the more common, and others give 20 August. He began to draw at about thirteen. In 1939–1948 he studied at the Tamadon school in Tehran, and in Isfahan he studied Persian culture. In 1957 or 1958 he received a first prize from Iran’s Ministry of Culture; according to some sources, in 1958 Iran chose him as a participant in the Venice Biennale. From the 1950s he took part in exhibitions in Tehran: “Spring” at a club (1950), the annual shows of a cultural-relations society (1950–1951), the “Iran–USA” exhibitions (1952, 1956) and shows of contemporary artists (1954, 1955). In parallel, according to some sources, he worked in architecture in 1960–1974; the hotel in Gajereh and the Tomasyan school are mentioned among his works. He also made the murals of the Armenian Cathedral of Saint Sarkis in Tehran.

In 1964–1966 Ayvazyan studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. After Italy he moved to London; the year is given variously, 1966 or 1973, and it is safer to say “in the 1960s–1970s”. In 1967 he had a solo exhibition of graphic work at the Guildhall in London, in 1982 a solo show at the Gulbenkian Hall in London, and in 1983 one at the Gorky Hall in New York. In 1987 the Artists’ Union of Armenia showed his work in Yerevan.

His most conspicuous work lies far from Armenian themes: a marble mosaic band with Arabic calligraphy around the central dome of the mosque at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The dates for it also vary: 1980, 1982 and 1985, and the length of the frieze is given as 250 metres. He also designed the interiors of several Armenian churches in Europe. In 1984 a photo album, “Armenian Village”, was published with his main works, among them a cycle on Armenian subjects. He turned to the epic “Daredevils of Sassoun”, illustrated the writings of Hovhannes Tumanyan, and painted many portraits and seascapes. His works are held in churches and museums, among them the Lazar Gallery and the Aram Khachaturian House-Museum. He was a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (2002) and of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in London (2006); he is described as the first Iranian artist in that institute.

In 2009 his works were shown at a festival exhibition devoted to Komitas in Canada. In 2015 the exhibition “Colors of Homeland” was held at the National Gallery of Armenia, and in the same year Armenia’s Ministry of Diaspora awarded him the Arshile Gorky medal. The last exhibition known, “Meeting with My Friend Sargis Muradyan”, took place in 2016 at the Muradyan Gallery.

Ayvazyan died in London on 25 March 2020.