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KARSH PHOTO STILL ENTHRALLS VARTAN GREGORIAN
By: Tom Vartabedian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/11/03/karsh-photo-still-enthralls-vartan-gregorian/
Thu, Nov 3 2011
WATERTOWN, Mass.-By virtue of his nature and uncalculated fame, Dr.
Vartan Gregorian is a man accustomed to sitting in the hot seat.
Dr. Vartan Gregorian admires a photograph of himself taken by Yousuf
Karsh in 1991 during a recent visit to ALMA. (Tom Vartabedian photo)
Of all the positions he's held, all the accolades he's received, all
the speeches he's given and notables he's encountered throughout his
academic lifetime, nothing has rattled his heart more than the time
he posed for Yousuf Karsh.
The year was 1991 and Gregorian was president emeritus of New York
Public Library. This would be his second encounter with the great
Armenian photographer from Ottawa, whose lens immortalized some of
the greatest individuals on this planet.
"It proved to be a nerve-racking experience," he recalled. "It took
hours before he actually took the picture, making sure every last
detail was in place. He was impatient because I was growing impatient.
Although I've been photographed by several other prominent
photographers, having Karsh take my picture was very special because
we were both Armenian."
The setting shows Gregorian with one hand on books and another in
his pocket, smiling against a backdrop of library shelves. By his
name reads the inscription: "Academic, Educator, Recipient of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom."
Of the 25 subjects currently on display at the newly refurbished
Bedoukian Gallery inside the Armenian Library and Museum of America
(ALMA) in Watertown, only one individual remains alive.
Gregorian got to see his own portrait hung on the wall-two decades
later-next to Ernest Hemingway and Eleanor Roosevelt. The privilege
was undeniable.
"It was a humbling experience that day when he showed up at the
library with his gear," recalled Gregorian. "He ran the picture in
his 'Legends' book. Being the only Armenian included in those pages
was humbling."
Few if any of the subjects, including Winston Churchill, were able to
get two photo commissions out of Karsh. The first time they met was
in 1981 when Gregorian was provost at the University of Pennsylvania.
Even then, Karsh proved a taskmaster with the sitting.
"It took four, maybe five hours before he was done," Gregorian traced
back. "Looking at my photo now being displayed at ALMA, it's living
proof that we all age-and unfortunately decline."
At the time of the grand opening Sept. 16, Gregorian was engaged
elsewhere and couldn't attend. He picked a Sunday afternoon in early
October when the museum was launching an art exhibit by impressionist
Martin Barooshian. The two notables were floors apart, each greeting
their own constituents, and never did get to meet that day.
Gregorian had a flight to catch and was in Geneva days later attending
a conference as president of the philanthropic Carnegie Corporation of
New York. At an age when most are retired, he also remains a trustee
of the Museum of Modern Art, the American Academic in Berlin, the
Institute for Advanced Study, and Brandeis University, among other
institutions.
Nearly 70 honorary degrees have come his way.
The Iranian-born academic served as president of Brown University
for nine years before Carnegie. His New York Public Library tenure
extended eight years and proved one of his most lasting legacies.
When he arrived there in 1981, the library faced deficits and a
deteriorating architecture. Eight years later, the operation budget
had doubled, 400 new employees had been hired, the buildings were
cleaned and restored, and $327 million had been raised.
Over the years, Gregorian grew to admire Karsh's work and held him in
the highest esteem. They had met on other occasions and the respect
turned mutual.
"Although he was proud to be Canadian, Karsh was equally proud to
be Armenian," said Gregorian. "I admired his erudition as well as
his modesty. He treated everyone as if they were the only person who
counted in the world. Even Churchill couldn't defy him when he took
the cigar out of his mouth."
Gregorian further described Karsh as "profound and humorous."
"He had no identity crisis," Gregorian added. "He knew who he was and
his mission in life. He had a rich inner life as well as a wonderful
profession, and he loved and admired his wife Estrellita. They
were a great couple who complemented each other. It was a joy to be
with them."
The gratitude of seeing his photograph displayed with other venerable
brings overwhelming pride to Gregorian. It was as if he were being
immortalized next to immortals.
In a letter written to board chairman Haig Der Manuelian, he thanked
ALMA for its leadership and its initiative toward keeping Armenia's
legacy alive in America.
By: Tom Vartabedian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/11/03/karsh-photo-still-enthralls-vartan-gregorian/
Thu, Nov 3 2011
WATERTOWN, Mass.-By virtue of his nature and uncalculated fame, Dr.
Vartan Gregorian is a man accustomed to sitting in the hot seat.
Dr. Vartan Gregorian admires a photograph of himself taken by Yousuf
Karsh in 1991 during a recent visit to ALMA. (Tom Vartabedian photo)
Of all the positions he's held, all the accolades he's received, all
the speeches he's given and notables he's encountered throughout his
academic lifetime, nothing has rattled his heart more than the time
he posed for Yousuf Karsh.
The year was 1991 and Gregorian was president emeritus of New York
Public Library. This would be his second encounter with the great
Armenian photographer from Ottawa, whose lens immortalized some of
the greatest individuals on this planet.
"It proved to be a nerve-racking experience," he recalled. "It took
hours before he actually took the picture, making sure every last
detail was in place. He was impatient because I was growing impatient.
Although I've been photographed by several other prominent
photographers, having Karsh take my picture was very special because
we were both Armenian."
The setting shows Gregorian with one hand on books and another in
his pocket, smiling against a backdrop of library shelves. By his
name reads the inscription: "Academic, Educator, Recipient of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom."
Of the 25 subjects currently on display at the newly refurbished
Bedoukian Gallery inside the Armenian Library and Museum of America
(ALMA) in Watertown, only one individual remains alive.
Gregorian got to see his own portrait hung on the wall-two decades
later-next to Ernest Hemingway and Eleanor Roosevelt. The privilege
was undeniable.
"It was a humbling experience that day when he showed up at the
library with his gear," recalled Gregorian. "He ran the picture in
his 'Legends' book. Being the only Armenian included in those pages
was humbling."
Few if any of the subjects, including Winston Churchill, were able to
get two photo commissions out of Karsh. The first time they met was
in 1981 when Gregorian was provost at the University of Pennsylvania.
Even then, Karsh proved a taskmaster with the sitting.
"It took four, maybe five hours before he was done," Gregorian traced
back. "Looking at my photo now being displayed at ALMA, it's living
proof that we all age-and unfortunately decline."
At the time of the grand opening Sept. 16, Gregorian was engaged
elsewhere and couldn't attend. He picked a Sunday afternoon in early
October when the museum was launching an art exhibit by impressionist
Martin Barooshian. The two notables were floors apart, each greeting
their own constituents, and never did get to meet that day.
Gregorian had a flight to catch and was in Geneva days later attending
a conference as president of the philanthropic Carnegie Corporation of
New York. At an age when most are retired, he also remains a trustee
of the Museum of Modern Art, the American Academic in Berlin, the
Institute for Advanced Study, and Brandeis University, among other
institutions.
Nearly 70 honorary degrees have come his way.
The Iranian-born academic served as president of Brown University
for nine years before Carnegie. His New York Public Library tenure
extended eight years and proved one of his most lasting legacies.
When he arrived there in 1981, the library faced deficits and a
deteriorating architecture. Eight years later, the operation budget
had doubled, 400 new employees had been hired, the buildings were
cleaned and restored, and $327 million had been raised.
Over the years, Gregorian grew to admire Karsh's work and held him in
the highest esteem. They had met on other occasions and the respect
turned mutual.
"Although he was proud to be Canadian, Karsh was equally proud to
be Armenian," said Gregorian. "I admired his erudition as well as
his modesty. He treated everyone as if they were the only person who
counted in the world. Even Churchill couldn't defy him when he took
the cigar out of his mouth."
Gregorian further described Karsh as "profound and humorous."
"He had no identity crisis," Gregorian added. "He knew who he was and
his mission in life. He had a rich inner life as well as a wonderful
profession, and he loved and admired his wife Estrellita. They
were a great couple who complemented each other. It was a joy to be
with them."
The gratitude of seeing his photograph displayed with other venerable
brings overwhelming pride to Gregorian. It was as if he were being
immortalized next to immortals.
In a letter written to board chairman Haig Der Manuelian, he thanked
ALMA for its leadership and its initiative toward keeping Armenia's
legacy alive in America.