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U.S. to host Armenian abstractionist Arthur Pinajian exhibit
March 9, 2012 - 15:29 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - On Thursday, March 29, Stephanie's Gallery in
California U.S. will host a reception for the exhibition, "Pinajian:
Master of Abstraction Discovered." Collectors will recall last year
when hundreds enjoyed their first opportunity to view this Armenian
American's paintings at the inaugural exhibition at the Zorayan Museum
in Glendale. This delightful reprise exhibition at Stephanie's Gallery
features new works not previously seen, and will run through May 12.
The fascinating story surrounding the Arthur Pinajian discovery first
broke in the New York Times in March 2007, in a feature article
titled, "Closing on a House, and a Life's Story, Told in Art."
After Pinajian's death in 1999, five decades of accumulated artwork
was found stacked up in the one-car garage and attic of the Bellport
cottage he shared with his sister. He had left instructions for his
collection to be discarded in the town dump.
Fortunately for American art history, Lawrence E. Joseph, the
best-selling author of Apocalypse 2012, bought the cottage and rescued
the collection just in time. The result is a book and traveling
exhibition that began at the Woodstock Art Association and Museum in
Woodstock in New York in Summer, 2010. It then ran at the Armenian
Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts from the
fall through winter of that year before coming to the Zorayan Museum
in Spring, 2011. The 128-page hardcover book contains essays by
eminent art historians, Richard J. Boyle, Peter Hastings Falk, and
William Innes Homer; plus art critic John Perreault.
Dr. Homer concluded that the essays collectively present one of the
most compelling discoveries in the history of twentieth century
American art: "Even though Pinajian was a creative force to be
reckoned with, during his lifetime he rarely exhibited or sold his
paintings. Instead, he pursued his goals in isolation with the
single-minded focus of a Gauguin or Cézanne, refusing to give up in
the face of public indifference. In his later years he could be
compared to a lone researcher in a laboratory pursuing knowledge for
its own sake. His exhaustive diaries and art notes make it clear that
he dedicated all of his days to his art. He was passionate and
unequivocally committed....Ultimately Pinajian's work reflects the
soul of a flawed, yet brilliant, artistic genius. When he hits the
mark, especially in his abstractions, he can be ranked among the best
artists of his era."
March 9, 2012 - 15:29 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - On Thursday, March 29, Stephanie's Gallery in
California U.S. will host a reception for the exhibition, "Pinajian:
Master of Abstraction Discovered." Collectors will recall last year
when hundreds enjoyed their first opportunity to view this Armenian
American's paintings at the inaugural exhibition at the Zorayan Museum
in Glendale. This delightful reprise exhibition at Stephanie's Gallery
features new works not previously seen, and will run through May 12.
The fascinating story surrounding the Arthur Pinajian discovery first
broke in the New York Times in March 2007, in a feature article
titled, "Closing on a House, and a Life's Story, Told in Art."
After Pinajian's death in 1999, five decades of accumulated artwork
was found stacked up in the one-car garage and attic of the Bellport
cottage he shared with his sister. He had left instructions for his
collection to be discarded in the town dump.
Fortunately for American art history, Lawrence E. Joseph, the
best-selling author of Apocalypse 2012, bought the cottage and rescued
the collection just in time. The result is a book and traveling
exhibition that began at the Woodstock Art Association and Museum in
Woodstock in New York in Summer, 2010. It then ran at the Armenian
Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts from the
fall through winter of that year before coming to the Zorayan Museum
in Spring, 2011. The 128-page hardcover book contains essays by
eminent art historians, Richard J. Boyle, Peter Hastings Falk, and
William Innes Homer; plus art critic John Perreault.
Dr. Homer concluded that the essays collectively present one of the
most compelling discoveries in the history of twentieth century
American art: "Even though Pinajian was a creative force to be
reckoned with, during his lifetime he rarely exhibited or sold his
paintings. Instead, he pursued his goals in isolation with the
single-minded focus of a Gauguin or Cézanne, refusing to give up in
the face of public indifference. In his later years he could be
compared to a lone researcher in a laboratory pursuing knowledge for
its own sake. His exhaustive diaries and art notes make it clear that
he dedicated all of his days to his art. He was passionate and
unequivocally committed....Ultimately Pinajian's work reflects the
soul of a flawed, yet brilliant, artistic genius. When he hits the
mark, especially in his abstractions, he can be ranked among the best
artists of his era."