CAFESJIAN ART CENTER OPENS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Nov 10, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The opening
ceremony of the Cafesjian Art Center took place in Yerevan on November
7. The Center is located in the so-called Cascade area well familiar to
Yerevan residents. Within the framework of this ceremony, the triptych
of monumental frescos by the famous Armenian painter Grigor Khanjian,
the first exhibition of the Armenian American painter Arshil Gorky in
Yerevan, and the display of art glass works by Libensky and Brikhtova
were opened at the Center. The opening ceremony was attended by RA
President Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II,
ministers, other high-ranking officials.

The idea of the Cascade Complex was conceived by the author of the
first Master Plan of Yerevan, architect Alexander Tamanian who wanted
to link the northern and southern parts of the city with each other.

The project, however, was forgotten and later carried out in the 1970s
by the Chief Architect of Yerevan Jim Torosian, but after the 1988
Spitak earthquake and the collapse of the Soviet Union the structure
remained incomplete for over a decade. The new phase in the Cascade's
history began in 2002 when the Armenian American philanthropist Gerard
Cafesjian initiated the 7-year reconstruction of the Cascade.