Explore Armenia through it's modern artists

To find Armenia’s best contemporary artists, you must know where to look, and Art Tours Armenia will take you there!

Meet artists in their studios! See and talk about their latest work! Buy art at lower-than-gallery prices! See an Armenia you never knew existed, visiting studios in Yerevan and Gyumri.

How it works
Design your own art tour, selecting from among the artists on display under the blog archive at left. We design single studio visits, day tours and overnight or week-long trips. Or join an already scheduled tour, such as our first Saturday art tours running each month, meeting in front of the centrally located Marriott Hotel in Yerevan! For more details and costs please E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Why buy Armenian art?

There is more to Armenian art than the pomegranates and landscapes. Contemporary art scene in Armenia is blending both the new ideas of the contemporary art world, and the classical art traditions.

Meeting these artists and buying their work means you'll not only have a beautiful piece of artwork, but learn also about modern-day Armenia through the eyes of it's contemporary artists!

Why do we focus on Gyumri Artists?

Yerevan may be the center of political power for Armenia, but Gyumri was once the cultural and artistic center. Housing the first art school started in the Caucasus, Gyumri's reputation as a sophisticated and open-minded audience ensured that all theatrical performances would premiere there. With it's many parks and unique architecture, the city attracted many people seeking a more relaxed place.

The 1988 earthquake brought that city crashing to the ground. Though aid money poured in, wide scale fraud and incompetence has made the rebuilding process frustratingly slow.

Now, the artistic community of Gyumri is reviving, with two active art schools and many of the artists staying and working in the town. The Gyumri Biennial, an international contemporary art fair, attracts artists from around the world once every two years.

Yet it is hard to find these artists: even in Yerevan, there aren't enough galleries to cover the artistic community in the capital city, let alone artists in 120-km north Gyumri. So we'll bring you to them! Enjoy our day and week-long tours to Gyumri to explore the city's redevelopment and lush surroundings.

Hambardzum Ghukasyan Studio Tour (Gyumri)

Hambardzum Ghukasyan, 55, painter, was born in Gyumri. He studied at both the Panos Terlemezian and Theatrical Institute of Fine Arts, both in Yerevan. Though he has worked as a painting teacher and currently serves as the director of the Fine Arts Institute of Yerevan-Gyumri branch, Ghukasyan has not let his duties get in the way of his own work. A prolific painter, Ghukasyan's work is characterized by rich warm tones and strong classic techniques: a favorite theme is the former theatrical tradition of Gyumri, usually depicted as underneath the city since the 1988 earthquake. He describes the nude woman who is the subject of many of his paintings as a "candle," and with her glowing pinks, oranges and burnt sienna, that's exactly how she appears.

Want to visit Hambardzum's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Hakob Hovhannisyan Studio Tour (Gyumri)

Hakob Hovhannisyan, 51, painter, was born in Gyumri. He studied art at the Terlemezyan Art school-Yerevan, Armenia, and has spent his artistic career split between his hometown and St. Petersberg, in Russia. He has shown internationally, in Switzerland, Spain and Russia, among other places. Hakob's works are deceptively simple at first glance. But upon further examination of one of his "Ten studies of Light," (shown above), his richness of color, masterful composition and skilled draftsmanship mark him as one of Armenia's most interesting contemporary artists. Hakob Hovhannisyan is now hiring a place in village Gusanagyugh where he has a possibility to depict the warm colors and the nature of the village.

Want to visit Hakob's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Zara Manucharyan Studio Tour (Yerevan)

Zara Manucharyan, 36, painter, was born and raised in Yerevan, and received degrees from the Yerevan State Fine Arts Academy in 1995, and an arts management degree in Austria. Combining print-making or graphic arts and drawing and painting techniques, her works have been shown across Europe, including permanent gallery representation. Citing Kandinsky, Miro and Arshile Gorky as the artists she most admires, Manucharyan's work also reflects modern, abstract sensibilities. Over time, her style has continuously evolved: from simple etchings and mono types to frenetic, multi-layered cityscapes. Her current work, is also showing a new direction, inspired by her recent visit to Tibet, where she made not only paintings but also made her first foray into video art/documentary.

Want to visit Zara's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Karine Matsakyan Studio Tour (Yerevan)

Karine Matsakyan, 49, painter, is a Gyumri-born painter who now lives in Yerevan. She received her art degree from the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Drama in 1985 and since then has been widely shown both within Armenia and internationally, including the prestigious Venice Biennial. She is considered one of Armenia's avante garde artists, among the first to embrace the post-modern art movement. She is influenced by Pop Art, the use of everyday symbols and images (famous Pop Art pioneers include Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein). Karine's work is often satirical and contains themes exploring feminist, nationalist and post-soviet realities.

Want to visit Karine's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Ararat Sargsyan Studio Tour (Yerevan)

Ararat Sargsyan (or Sarkissian), 52, painter, was born in Gyumri and now lives in Yerevan. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Gyumri and the Panos Terlemezian Fine Arts College in Yerevan. He has been shown internationally, from France to Cyprus to Tokyo, among other places. Using a combination of print-making techniques using homemade recycled paper and painting, Ararat's work is suffused with age-old symbols, both worldly and Armenia specific. He's fascinated with old maps and alphabets from all languages around the world, but his most famous series is probably "The Cross," reflecting the unique Armenian design of this church symbol. This prolific artist has also produced a large number of handmade books and catalogs to illustrate his ideas. Brother of artist Artur Sargsyan and father of Arshak Sargsyan.

Want to visit Ararat's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Arshak Sargsyan Studio Tour (Yerevan)

Arshak Sargsyan (or Sarkissian), 26, painter, was born and raised in Yerevan. Mostly self-taught, he has studied at the Cypress School of Art and recently beat out 1000 artists to be one of 30 to participate in an all-expenses-paid fellowship at upstate New York’s Art Omi Retreat. There is no missing the vibrant work of this young artist, whose paintings, drawings and sculptures reflect his alternative Armenia, a world of “happy, slightly confused people running around.” Make no mistake: Arshak insists his vision of Armenia is no fantasy. His figures come from models, from his neighborhood, and most importantly, from clubbing, and the glamorous night life tucked away in Yerevan like America’s secret juke joints during 1930s prohibition. He is the son of artist Ararat Sargsyan, and nephew of Artur Sargsyan.

Want to visit Arshak's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Artur Sargsyan Studio Tour (Yerevan)

Artur Sargsyan (or Sarkissian), 48, painter, was born in Gyumri, and currently works in Yerevan. His studies, begun at the School of Fine Arts in Gyumri, Armenia, were interrupted by service in the soviet army. He graduated from Department of Drawing at Pedagogical Institute of Yerevan in 1989. Sargsyan's work is a combination of images captured by silkscreen onto canvas, covered with the rich, thick, colorful brush strokes. Reminiscent of Robert Rauchenberg, Sargsyan's free hand with the brush has earned him a high place in Armenia's contempary avante garde art world. Brother of artist Ararat Sargsyan and uncle of Arshak Sargsyan.

Want to visit Artur's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Gevorg Sargsyan ("Chala") Studio Tour (Gyumri)

Gevorg ("Chala") Sargsyan, 50, painter, was born and raised in Gyumri. He studied at both the Terlemezian Art College and the Art and Theater Institute (graphics department) in Yerevan, and currently works as a lecturer at the Gyumri Art Academy. He has shown internationally, including, among other places, Sweden, Vienna and France. Perhaps this abstract expressionist has best managed to capture the tortured soul of Gyumri, particularly after the 1988 earthquake that destroyed the city. Using a mixture of techniques and muted, ashy color palette, Chala's work reflects both hopeful innocence and utter devastation. Chala has created and is leading an artgroup called 15/3 that is organising exhibitions of young artists almost every month. One of them, Karen Barseghyan is now participating in 'Artist in residence' project in Holland, The Hague.

Want to visit Chala's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Vahan Topchyan Studio Tour (Gyumri)

Vahan Topchyan, 59, a painter/illustrator, is a Gyumri native, and studied both at the Gyumri School of Painting and the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute. He has been shown internationally, from Moscow to Tehran to the UK. Meet the Chagall of Armenia! Though to be clear, Vahan's dreamy, subtle washes of watercolor and acrylic over pencil and pastel are purely his own inventions. His characters do whatever they like: cats serve as hats, birds sit in pockets, princesses play the tuba. Enter Vahan's fairy tale world: each time, he'll tell you a different story about the same painting!

Vahan's illustrations can be found in Armenian and other country fairy tale books.

Want to visit Vahan's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Albert Vardanyan Studio Tour (Gyumri)

Albert Vardanyan, 54, sculptor, was born and raised in Gyumri, though he studied at the College of Arts in Yerevan. His work has been shown worldwide, from Italy, Germany and Brussels to the U.S., and his commissioned work stands in several countries. Vardanyan's work speaks of universal concepts - peace, hope, war and pain - but his symbols are reflective of his native land, such as his famous Egg and cross works. His "Knight" series, for example, shows faceless, body-less figures draped in various suits of armor, usually anchored by a sharp metal spike. It tells us not only that the world needs more valiant knights, but that there are too few suited to call themselves a knight.

Albert's famous sculpture 'Pulsar' - symbol of freedom, is now standing in front of the main church in Bochum, Germany.

Want to visit Albert's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Hrach Vardanyan Studio Tour (Gyumri)

Hrach Vardanyan, 21, son of sculptor Albert Vardanyan, is our youngest artist - but he is already showing as much promise as his talented father! His works, combining superb drawing skills, various graphic and print-making techniques, and painting, reflect complex thoughts about the world around him. His dog series, for example, examines the darker side of the canine: how people, politicians and various power-mongers behave in a dog-eat-dog world. His style is both delicate and fierce. Worth visiting the Vardanyan home, where Hrach has a small studio, to see it in person, including the hundreds of sketches and studies he has produced for each series. Hrach Vardanyan has just returned from the USA where he had his individual exhibitions at Fresno Gallery25, California.

Want to visit Hrach's studio? E-mail us at arttoursarmenia@gmail.com.

Tours in Armenia

Art Tours Armenia is dedicated to connecting Armenian artists to the local and international community. We offer a variety of interactive art education events and off-the-beaten track tours to artist studios in Yerevan, Gyumri and other locations across Armenia. Please contact us if you are interested in scheduling a customized day or weekend tour, or if you’d like to organize art classes with artists working in painting, drawing, sculpture or other fine arts mediums.