Author: Jagharian Tania

The Daily Telegraph (London)
June 3, 2017 Saturday
JEWEL PURPOSE
Villa empain in Brussels has had a chequered past. But now it has
regained its former art-deco glory thanks to the Boghossian family,
famous for creating exquisite east-meets-west jewellery, and now
cultural events
With its granite and gold leaf exterior, the Villa Empain must be one
of the most distinctive and beloved buildings in Brussels.
Louis Empain - son of billionaire industrialist and railway pioneer
Edouard Empain - commissioned architect Michel Polak to design the
villa as a private residence in 1930. Four years later it was
completed, combining the simple lines of Bauhaus architecture with the
luxurious materials and detailing of art deco.
The villa was designed as a home of Gatsby-esque grandeur - except no
wild parties were ever held there; Louis Empain was a very sober young
man - so reclusive it was rumoured at the time that he never actually
moved in. In reality, he did live in the villa for at least four
years, and the few who were lucky enough to step inside would have
seen yet more splendour. Floors and walls are rendered from five
different types of marble; there is panelling in walnut, rosewood and
oak, as well as the more exotic African bubinga and Venezuelan
manilkara; bathrooms are tiled with intricate mosaics; and
stained-glass panels and magnificent wroughtironwork feature
throughout. The swimming pool, which extends the entire length of the
villa and boasted a thermostatically controlled heater, was one of the
most impressive of its era.
As such, Villa Empain is an aptly decorative home for the Boghossian
Foundation, established as 'a centre for art and dialogue between the
cultures of the east and the west'. Opened by the high jewellery house
in April 2010, what might be dismissed as a glitzy vanity project for
a luxury goods brand is, in fact, a heartfelt endeavour to use art as
a force for good.
Caught up in the conflicts that have afflicted the Middle East
throughout the 20th century, the Boghossian family found themselves
fleeing from Armenia to Syria and then Lebanon, before finally
settling in Belgium and Switzerland. 'I had the good fortune to grow
up in the magnificent country of Lebanon but I lived through the
damage caused by civil war,' explains Jean Boghossian, a
Brussels-based artist (who represented Armenia at this year's Venice
Biennale). 'I witnessed the brutality with which a peaceful
coexistence can turn into a murderous hatred, and the wound it causes.
Before, during the genocide that they suffered in 1915, my Armenian
forefathers also lived through a nightmare.' In 1992, Jean was moved
to set up the Boghossian Foundation with his brother Albert - the
company's CEO - and their father Robert, in order to undertake
charitable work in the Middle East. 'We have been involved with
humanitarian and educational projects for many years but we wanted to
do something larger - shine a light on new ideas,' says Albert's son
Ralph, the company's production director. 'The result is the
Foundation in Brussels, which works to promote understanding between
different cultures. Being Armenian, we drew inspiration from the Silk
Road - it's the universe around which the Boghossian house revolves.'
Descended from six generations of gem dealers, the Boghossian family
has forged a unique identity in the world of high jewellery. Famous
for the 'art of inlay', a technique of setting one stone within
another - Boghossian was known as Bogh-Art before being renamed in
2007 - the company's colourful aesthetic, extraordinary gems and
attention to detail produce pieces akin to works of art.
'We start with the stone because we're gem experts and that's what
we're passionate about,' says Ralph. 'We have developed many types of
setting because it's the mount that emphasises and highlights the
qualities of a stone.' Designs are influenced by both the Boghossian
family's Middle Eastern roots and European lives today. Unusual stones
are sometimes bought and stored for years before being turned into one
of the handful of pieces that the house creates annually in
Switzerland and Italy.
'We have loyal clients who buy several pieces on a regular basis,'
adds Ralph. 'When you know that, for them, peerless beauty is the only
thing that counts, you are able to push your abilities and create
something special.' In contrast to the rarified world of Boghossian
jewels, the Foundation at Villa Empain is open to all, and its general
manager Louma Salamé (Jean's niece) is 'very much into opening things
up. Our shows and workshops are intended to make the visitor feel at
home and we give everyone the same attention, whether it's the
minister of foreign affairs or a Syrian refugee.' Louis Empain would
surely approve of the current use of his former home. In 1937 Empain
donated his mansion to the state as the site of the Royal Museum of
Contemporary Decorative Arts of Belgium, but the Second World War
brought a premature end to the museum's activities when the villa was
requisitioned by the German invaders. It is rumoured to have been
occupied by the Gestapo.
After the war, despite the conditions attached to Empain's gift to the
Belgian state, the villa was handed over to the USSR to serve as its
embassy. After much campaigning the building was returned to Empain in
the mid-1960s and he staged exhibitions dedicated to kinetic and op
art, before selling it in 1973, three years before his death. It was
rented by the television station RTL for 20 years then, following
another sale, the villa was abandoned and fell into disrepair.
When the Boghossian Foundation acquired Villa Empain in 2006, it was
in a completely dilapidated state. After two years of site surveys and
extensive research, complex restoration works took a further two.
Walking through the building now it's difficult to imagine that it
hasn't always looked the way it does.
'By restoring this magnificent piece of art-deco architecture and
using it to house the headquarters of the foundation, we think that
our projects will, in their own way, fulfil Baron Empain's wishes,'
says Jean Boghossian.
Having worked at the Guggenheim, the Mudam and the Abu Dhabi Louvre,
Salamé is eminently qualified to run the Foundation. 'It's a dream
project for me - I found the idea of a bilateral east-meets-west
project tremendously exciting,' she says. 'I've followed its progress
for over 10 years, but I thought I had to do things on my own for a
certain time and tried to learn everything you have to know to become
the director of a cultural institution. ' The first show that Salamé
curated at the foundation was called Imaginary Borders. 'There's an
increasing stigmatisation of different groups of people for their
religion, social background or nationality and the building of social
barriers. All these walls are what we are fighting against.' The
foundation's 'mission' to encourage cultural exchange is carried out
through exhibitions, events and residencies, with writers, artists,
designers and curators living on site. The rooms in the villa are
still referred to according to their original purpose and the hum of
activity means it is far removed from a sterile gallery space.
'It's very much a living building - we want visitors to use the space
and feel at ease,' says Salamé. 'It's a unique house, an amazing jewel
and the perfect home for our mission. Genuinely, every morning when I
put the key into this gorgeous front door, I feel like I've come
home.' www.villaempain.com

Hurriyet, Egypt
 Istanbul summit sees row over Nagorno-Karabakh
ISTANBUL
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 22 criticized Armenian Deputy
Foreign Minister Ashot Hovakimiyan over his remarks largely focusing
on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Summit in Istanbul.
In his speech at the opening ceremony of the summit, Hovakimiyan gave
a lengthy response to Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Ogdal Asadov, who
had stated that one of the member countries “has still not given up
its poisonous ideology,” referring to Armenia.
“The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Summit is not a place for
political accusations,” Hovakimiyan said.
However, Erdoğan, who was chairing the session, slammed Hovakimiyan
for himself giving a “completely political speech.”
“No representative here made any [political] accusation or evaluation.
But you took up your entire speech with a political evaluation,” he
said.
Erdoğan also noted that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was within the
responsibility of the OSCE Minsk Group, pointing to Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“There is a great benefit to make this issue end,” he said.
The decades-long dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh has its immediate roots
in a 1990s war that left some 30,000 people dead after ethnic-Armenian
separatists backed by Yerevan seized territory from Azerbaijan.
Despite years of internationally-mediated negotiations since the 1994
ceasefire, the two sides have not yet signed a final peace deal.
Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but the
ethnic-Azeri community - which before the war made up around 25
percent of the population - was entirely driven out. Almost all of the
current 145,000 population of the enclave is Armenian and the region
has declared itself the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
May/22/2017