PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-0710
Fax: (212) 779-3558
Web:
Email: [email protected]
HISTORIC EVENT
WHITNEY MUSEUM TO LEND ARSHILE GORKY’S "THE ARTIST AND HIS MOTHER" TO THE
EASTERN DIOCESE FOR UPCOMING ART EXHIBITION "ART @ THE CATHEDRAL: GIVING
FORM TO FAITH"
It is with great pleasure we announce that the Board of Trustees of the
Whitney Museum of American Art in New York has generously agreed to lend
arguably the most notable painting by Arshile Gorky, entitled The Artist and
His Mother (c.1926-36), to the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern).
The Artist and His Mother will be on display as part of "Art @ the
Cathedral: Giving Form to Faith," an exhibition organized for the occasion
of the 40th anniversary of the consecration of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
in New York City.
The Gorky painting will be exhibited at the Diocesan Center only for one day
on Thursday, June 19th, 2008. The granting of such a loan is an unparalleled
homage to the celebration of the 40th anniversary of St. Vartan Armenian
Cathedral. Within the context of the upcoming Diocesan art exhibition, this
Gorky painting will be in dialogue with a wide range of post-World War II
and contemporary artworks.
"We extend our appreciation to the Board of Trustees of the Whitney Museum,"
said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern). "This unprecedented loan is truly an exceptional addition to our
exhibition."
It is especially fitting that The Artist and His Mother will be exhibited at
the Eastern Diocese as this year is the 50th anniversary of Gorky’s death,
making the Whitney Museum’s loan particularly significant to the
Armenian-American community.
"We are truly grateful to Adam D. Weinberg, dynamic director of the Whitney
Museum, and to the Whitney Museum’s dedicated Board of Trustees, who have
made this very rare loan possible for the commemoration of the 40th
anniversary of the inception of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral," said Vicki
Hovanessian curator of the exhibition.
"It is a great honor for the artists who undoubtedly have been influenced by
Gorky to be exhibited side by side with this iconic painting, The Artist and
His Mother," Hovanessian added. "The Armenian-American community holds this
painting as a poignant symbol of Armenian cultural heritage, and the Whitney
Museum has enabled us to display this masterpiece in an Armenian
institution."
In honor of this unprecedented occasion, "Art @ the Cathedral: Giving Form
to Faith" will open early on June 19, 2008 at 2 p.m. The opening-night
reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. A concert in the sanctuary is scheduled
for 7:30 p.m.
The exhibition will remain on view until June 24, 2008 at the Diocesan
Center, 630 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
June 20-23, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 24. The exhibition is free and
open to the public. The opening night concert is not.
The Diocese is at 212-686-0710.