Sculptor's legacy on the verge of elimination
From November 26 to December 6, an exhibition will be held at the hall of the Artists' Union of Armenia on the occasion of notable Armenian sculptor Benik Petrosyan's 70th anniversary.
An album entitled "Benik Petrosyan-70" has been published within the framework of events organized by the RA Ministry of Culture and a plaque will be placed at Tumanyan 9 Street.
Before the event, Petrosyan's family (Alice Adamyan, Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Arevik Petrosyan and Areg Petrosyan) issued a letter joined by art figures, intellectuals and fans.
"The artist died at the age of 57 and left a unique, enormous legacy. Benik Petrosyan is known to Armenians as the founder of miniature sculptures and an unsurpassable master, but there is a variety of genres, including monumental and machine sculpting, painting, graphics, casts, well-shaped sculptures, ceramics, shaping and more.
Benik Petrosyan's art has made a notable contribution to the history of Armenian culture. He has showcased his works in the USSR and other countries and they have been included in international museums and individual collections.
The growing interest toward Benik Petrosyan's exceptional art shows that government funding is needed to create the artist's museum.
Many post-mortum exhibitions have been organized in the past years with the participation of high-ranking officials, intellectuals and art figures who have deemed it necessary to build a museum and there have also been pledges.
The "Cafesjian" Museum took on the responsibility of preserving and showcasing the sculptor's works (which was prescribed by a special point in the contract), but the "Cafesjian Foundation" demanded the dislocation of the unique collection with small compensation due to other projects at the "Cascade" Complex.
A building that needed to be repaired and would finally turn into a museum on Hanrapetutyun Street of Yerevan was obtained, but later it became part of the government's sale zone. Benik Petrosyan's creations are in rather poor condition. There is no security, heating or air conditioning system and their maintenance is in danger.
The government needs to approach the issue for a solution," as stated in the letter.
