National Gallery of Armenia

The retrospective exhibition of sculptor Ara Shiraz takes place on November 11 , 15:00 at the National Gallery of Armenia.

Ara Shiraz was one of the most vivid representatives of Armenian new fine art. In Armenian statuary he was distinguished by his unique way of thinking, innovative approaches, with deep time sense and original and bold interpretation of subject and figures.
Ara Shiraz was born in 1941 into the family of remarkable poets Hovhannes Shiraz and Silva Kaputikyan. In 1966 he graduated from Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Arts. From 1968 till the end of his life he was a member of the Union of Artists of Armenia. In 1987 the artist was elected as the president of the Union of Artists of Armenia. He was awarded a title of Honoured Artist of Armenia in 1977. In 1979 Shiraz was awarded a State Prize for the sculpted ornaments of hotel “Dvin” (Yerevan). He received a title of People’s Artist of Armenia in 2009. The sculptor participated in numerous exhibitions in Armenia and abroad.
Complicated figures, subjects and genres of Shiraz’s art had a unique way of development and embraced portraits, free-standing sculptures, bas-reliefs, conceptual compositions and monumental statuary.
The series of sculpted portraits of Armenian renowned intellectuals including those of William Saroyan, Hovhannes Shiraz, Yervand Kochar, Paruyr Sevak, Sergey Parajanov and others, had a significant place in the master’s multi-genre and comprehensive art.
The retrospective exhibition is aimed at representing the whole creative way of Ara Shiraz, with transformations of all volumes and forms, from sculptural works to graphic papers including about ninety works (from the collections of the National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan Modern Art Museum and the artist’s family). Graphic works of the artist’s earlier period are displayed for the first time. They elucidate his art from another aspect.