Museums in Armenia

THE MATENADARAN
The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts commonly referred to as the Matenadaran, is a repository of ancient manuscripts, research institute and museum in Yerevan, Armenia. It holds one of the world’s richest depositories of medieval manuscripts and books which span a broad range of subjects, including history, philosophy, medicine, literature, art history and cosmography in Armenian and many other languages.

“EREBUNI”HISTORICAL-ARCHEOLOGICAL RESERVE-MUSEUM
“Erebuni” historical-archeological reserve-museum was opened on October 21st, 1968 on the occasion of 2750th anniversary of Erebuni-Yerevan fortress-town foundation. The museum has science-research, funds preservation, excursion and mass arrangement departments, laboratories of rehabilitation and anthropology. Annually 15000 tourists visit the museum. To set up a center of Urartology on the basis of «Erebuni» museum courses of the Urartian language are held at the museum.

NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF ARMENIA

The National Art Gallery is situated in Republic Square of Yerevan. It was founded in 1921, but the previous two-storey building made of black tufa was faced with white stone and an eight-storey branch building was erected in the yard in 1978. The Art Gallery created a rich collection of Armenian, Russian and West Europe painting (more than 25 thousand exhibits), it is a member of the International Association of Fine Arts museums.

ALEXANDER SPENDIARYAN HOUSE-MUSEUM

The museum was founded in1963 in the house where the composer lived during the last years of his life. On November 25 1967 the house-museum was opened for the visitors. There are 1317 museum items here: the composer’s personal things, documents, notes, manuscripts and photos, which give information about the life and activity of Spendiaryan.

ARA SARGSYAN AND HAKOB KOJOYAN HOUSE-MUSEUM
The sculptor Ara Sarksian and the painter Hakob Kojoyan played a significant role in the development of the fine arts of the latest time. They laid the basis for further development of Armenian monumental sculpture and artistic design of books.
There are numerous monumental sculptures and bas-relives by Ara Sarksian in Yerevan and other cities of Armenia.

ARAM KHACHATRYAN HOUSE-MUSEUM

The house-museum was opened in 1984, when the 80th jubilee of the famous musician. The collection includes more than 18000 valuable i+tems. Various items exhibited in the reminiscence home and in 10 exhibition halls introduce the visitors with the life and creative heritage of Aram Khachatryan. There is a rich record library and a concert hall in the museum, where concerts, musical festivals and exhibitions are often held.

AVETIK ISAHAKYAN HOUSE-MUSEUM

It is situated in Zarobyan street (former Plekhanov street), in parallel to Baghramyan avenue. In this house the writer lived the last ten years of his life. The house-museum was opened on October 31, 1963. The exhibition consists of 2 parts – literature and reminiscence. A lot of rare in Armenia books you can find only in Isahakyan’s library. More than 10 thousand values, describing Isahakyan’s life and work are kept in the museum, which are scientifically studied and presented to the public.

CAFESJIAN MUSEUM-FOUNDATION

In 2002 the USA Gafechean museum foundation opened in Yerevan “Cafesjian museum-foundation” with the aim of creating a museum of contemporary arts and a cultural center. The Republic of Armenia allocated an area and the half-built area of Cascade to the Cafesjian museum-foundation. While founding the GMF, Gerard L.Cafesjian passed his private collection of works of art to the museum designed by David Hotson, the architect from New York. Gerard Cafesjian museum will serve as the national center for art creativity and self-expression and tightly cooperate with the art-loving community. The main aim of the museum is to show world art of painting.

HOUSE-MUSEUM OF MARTIROS SARYAN

The house-museum was opened in 1976 during the life of the artist with the collection of 50his works granted by him. Presently, 240 museum samples are displayed in the museum completing the main stages of the Master’s creative activity: from the first student works to the paintings, drawings of the late period up to his last canvas “A fairytale”.

HOVHANNES TOUMANYAN MUSEUM
In April, 1953 at Moskovyan 40 in Yerevan by the project of architect Grigor Aghababyan the museum of Hovh. Toumanyan was opened, where more than 18000 exhibits are kept carefully. One of the greatest values of the museum – Hovh.Toumanyan’s personal exceptional and various library consisted of about 8 000 volumes – is kept in a separate hall on the second floor.To reach this museum, situated on the eminence in the center of Yerevan you should surmount 54 stairs – this number symbolize the years of life of the greatest Armenian.

“MOTHER ARMENIA” MILITARY MUSEUM

The museum was founded in 1970 as a museum dedicated to the victory in the World War II (architect R. Israelyan). The plan of the building resembles Hripsime temple simultaneously serving as the pedestal for Mother Armenia statue. The museum has more than 30000 exhibits. On the first floor materials about Armenian soldiers in the World War II, as well as personal items of Marshal Hovhannes Baghramyan are displayed. In the exhibition hall of the second floor documentary about Artsakh war is displayed: documents, photos, material describing martial activities.

MUSEUM OF LITERATURE AND ART AFTER YEGHISHE CHARENTS
More than a thousand personal archives and collections are kept in the museum nowadays including more than one million museum samples. The exhibition called “From Sayat Nova to Charents” is exhibited in the museum permanently. In parallel with the permanent exhibition various thematic exhibitions as wellas literature and musical parties, lectures, meetings with workers of culture are organized here.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
The Yerevan Museum of Modern Art was founded in 1972 by the efforts of Henrik Igityan, Yerevan Mayor G. Hasratyan and the best Armenian painters. As a specialized museum of modern art this establishment was the first not only in the former Soviet Union, but also in the whole socialist block. Within the following 20 years the museum kept its uniqueness. The first exhibition of the museum completely consisted of the works of the Armenian artists of the 1960s granted to the museum by them. Now the catalogue of “Yerevan Modern Art Museum” is being prepared for publication.

RUSSIAN ART MUSEUM OF YEREVAN

The museum was founded in 1984. The collection of professor A. Abrahamyam represents the best period of Russian art history, the basis of which are economical and moral changes of the 19-20th centuries. The collection of the museum includes more than 120 paintings and drawings. The hall representing dramatic art, where clothes and decorations are exhibited, attracts special attention and creates high spirit. The works of art by Korovin, Serov, Arkhipov are worth special attention.

SERGEY PARAJANOV MUSEUM
The museum was founded in 1988 after the first exhibition of Parajanov’s works held in People’s art Museum of Armenia. In the same year Sargis Parajanyants was allotted two adjacent constructions for dwelling and for the museum in “Dzoragyugh” ethnic quarter.
The museum organized 56 exhibitions in Cannes, Salonika, Moscow, Rome, London, Los Angeles, Tehran, Beijing, Paris and other places.

STATE MUSEUM OF ARMENIAN HISTORY

The museum was founded by the law accepted by the Parliament of the first republic of Armenia. It was called National anthropological museum-library. On August 20th, 1921 it was opened for the visitors. It was formed on the basis of collections of Caucasian Armenian Ethnographic Company, museums of Armenian antiquities of Nor Nakhchevan, Antiquity Depository of Ani, Vagharshapat Matenadaran.

The national collection consisted of about 400000 items is kept in the State Museum of Armenian History, completing the culture and history of Armenia coming from pre-historic times.

STATE MUSEUM OF NATURE OF ARMENIA
State museum of nature of Armenia is a unique in the region with its collections and museum values. The main collection of the museum includes special items of biodiversity of Armenian flora and fauna, which have been preserved almost without changes since last geological era, are extinct or rare and included in the Red Books of Armenia and International Society of Nature Protection. The collection reflects the peculiarities of our country’s nature and the riches of the Earth’s interior.

WOODCRAFT MUSEUM

The museum was founded in 1977. The main aim of the museum is to collect, keep and develop the rich traditions of the national woodcraft. The exhibition consists of sectors of sculpture, applied art and ancient culture.

The authors are painters, sculptors and masters of applied art. Thematic and authors exhibitions, cultural actions, lectures are held here. Educational and training programs are implemented in marzes (provinces) and in Artsakh.

YEGHISHE CHARENTS HOUSE-MUSEUM

In accordance with the decree of the Council of Ministers of Soviet Armenia, dated February 8, 1964, the house-museum of Yeghishe Charents was founded in Mashtots avenue, 17 (formerly Lenin avenue,45) in Yerevan: in this building the poet lived in 1935-1937. It is the center studying the poet’s life, his literature and culture, public and political activity, where the poet’s relics achieved us: personal things, manuscripts, documents, books, photos and other things. The most dedicatory sector of the museum is the reminiscence home where everything is preserved and exhibited as it used to be during his living there.

YERVAND KOCHAR MUSEUM

Yervand Kochar museums in Armenia were opened in 1984 in the place of Maestro’s workshop. The museum gives full information about the whole creative life of the artist: paintings, graphics, sculptures of “Tiflis”, “Paris”, “Yerevan” periods, models of monument sculptures, videos. Kochar’s prospective works of art, considered to be an achievement of modern art, are kept in “Pompidu” center in Paris and in Yervand Kochar museum. The works of Armenian artist were exhibited beside the ones of such famous artists as Picasso, Braque, Arp, Brancusi, Leger, de Chirico and others.