Paul Guiragossian (; 1926 – November 20, 1993) was an
Armenian Lebanese
The Armenians in Lebanon ( hy, Լիբանանահայեր, translit=Libananahayer; ar, الأرمن في لبنان; french: Arméniens du Liban) are Lebanese citizens of Armenian descent. There has been an Armenian presence in Lebanon for centur ...
painter.
Biography
Born to Armenian parents, who were survivors of the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...
, Paul Guiragossian experienced the consequences of exile from a very tender age. Raised in boarding schools, he grew up away from his mother who had to work to make sure her two sons get education.
In the early 1940s, Guiragossian and his family moved to
Jaffa where he attended Studio Yarkon (1944 - 1945) to start improving his passion for painting. In 1947, the family had to move again and settled in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
.
In the 1950s, Guiragossian started teaching art in several Armenian schools and worked as an illustrator. He later started his own business with his brother Antoine, painting cinema banners, posters and drawing illustrations for books. Soon after he was discovered for his art and introduced to his contemporaries after which he began exhibiting his works in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
and eventually all over the world.
In 1956, Guiragossian won the first prize in a painting competition, which landed him a scholarship by the Italian government to study at the
Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze
The Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze ("academy of fine arts of Florence") is an instructional art academy in Florence, in Tuscany, in central Italy.
It was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1563, under the influence of Giorgio Vasari. ...
(The Academy of Fine Arts of Florence). While in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, he had multiple exhibitions starting with a solo show in 1958 at the Galeria D'Arte Moderna "La Permanente".
In 1961, Guiragossian returned to Beirut. In 1962, Guiragossian was granted another scholarship, this time by the French Government, to study and paint in Paris at
Les Atelier Des Maîtres De L'Ecole De Paris and by the end of that year he had a solo exhibition at the
Galerie Mouffe.
By the mid 1960s Guiragossian had grown to become one of the most celebrated artists in Lebanon and eventually of the Arab world and even though war broke out in the early 1970s, his attachment to Lebanon grew bigger and his works became more colorful with messages of hope for his people.
In 1989, Guiragossian went to Paris to exhibit his works in
La Salle Des Pas Perdus in
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
and lived in the city with part of his family until 1991. In that year, he had a solo exhibition at the
Institut du Monde Arabe
The ''Institut du Monde Arabe'', French for Arab World Institute, abbreviated ''IMA'', is an organization founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural an ...
. This exhibition was extended and marked the first solo show at the IMA for any artist.
Guiragossian died on November 20, 1993, in Beirut. That morning after completing a magnificent oil painting, he revealed to his daughter that he finally achieved what he always wanted, merging the old and the new in one painting.
The family agreed to title the painting "L'Adieu" and it remains unsigned in the Guiragossian family collection. His work can be found in the National Gallery of Armenia.
Paul Guiragossian's Work in the National Gallery of Armenia
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Family
In 1952, Paul married Juliette Hindian, a young painter and a former student of his. Together they had six children. Their son Ara died soon after birth and Paul painted several paintings as a tribute to him. All the children have studied different forms of art but Emmanuel, Jean-Paul and Manuella continued their careers as artist painters, making a name of their own in the art world. In 2011, the family established The Paul Guiragossian Foundation to preserve and promote his legacy.
See also
* List of Armenian artists
References
External links
www.paulguiragossian.com
Paul Guiragossian (Lebanese, 1926–1993)
Paul Guiragossian: The Human Condition
A Fresh Perspective on Paul Guiragossian in Beirut
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guiragossian, Paul
Artists from Jerusalem
Palestinian people of Armenian descent
20th-century Lebanese painters
1926 births
1993 deaths