Hakob Kojoyan and Ara Sargsyan Memorial Museum

The 2-storey private residence of sculptor Ara Sargsyan and painter Hakob Kojoyan, which served as a house for the families of these two renowned Armenians and was used as a studio for the famed artists themselves, in 1973 was given to the state by their successors, to be turned into a house museum, as a branch of the National Gallery of Armenia.

Ara Sargsyan’s (1902-1969) art section displays the sculptor’s works from the National Gallery collection, pieces from family property, photos of creations made in student years and handwritten materials as reminiscences. Here one can also find the theatrical accessories and graphic design works made by the artist.

Ara Sargsyan’s art is a peculiar blend of achievements of national and European art, quite skillfully combining traditional and modern trends, monumental nobleness and chamber lyricism, generalization of forms and images, and psychological emotionalism. Beside the thematic multi-figure compositions, high relief sculptures, monumental works and multi-genre massive structures created through various challenging solutions, a special place is allotted to miniatures, especially to female slim figures created with special tenderness and warmth.

Busts were the prevailing genre in Sargsyan’s art. Having mastered every aspect of materials used in sculpture, he created marble, granite, bronze and wood embodiments of prominent Armenian figures Manouk Abeghyan, Hrachya Acharyan, Toros Toramanyan, Suren Spandaryan, Vardan Achemyan and many others.

Great is Ara Sargsyan’s contribution to the establishment of the Armenian school of modern sculpture. He was one of the founders, the first rector and Head of the Chair of Sculpture of Yerevan Art-Theater Institute. Distinguished sculptors Ghukas Chubaryan, Ara Harutyunyan, Sargis Baghdasaryan, Levon Tokmajyan and others were apprentices to the master. They were true followers and developers of Armenian sculpture along the line sketched by Sargsyan himself.

The second floor displays Hakob Kojoyan’s works, handwritten documents and personal belongings. Some of the works have been provided to the museum by the National Gallery of Armenia, others are donatations from the painter’s successors.

Great is the role Kojoyan played in the history of Armenian painting. His art is comprehensive, including graphic design, painting and different branches of decorative applied art. Kojoyan’s paintings are characterized by sharpness of language, laconicism and expressiveness of forms, tenderness of colours and mastery of compositional structure. In his paintings the artist reflects the daily routine of his motherland, admires and praises the nature and recurs to historical events. Much more considerable is Kojoyan’s input in graphic art. Being a connoisseur of the Armenian medieval miniature painting, he creatively used ornamental motives in his book illustrations, especially in fairy-tales. Kojoyan is considered to be the founder of the new stage of book illustration art. Among his best illustrations are the collection of poems “Sayat-Nova”, “Davit of Sasoun” by Hovhannes Toumanyan, “Book for the Road” by Yeghishe Charents, and many others.

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