DR. GARABED BELIAN DIES
AZG DAILY
21-01-2010
Diaspora
The art world and the Armenian community suffered a great loss with
the sudden death of internationally acclaimed art historian, musician
and dentist Dr. Garabed Belian in Beaumont Hospital (Troy, Michigan)
on December 14, Armenian Mirror Spectator December 26 issue reports.
Belian (changed from Behesnilian), a survivor, a self-made man and a
versatile individual, was born in Jerusalem to parents who were exiled
from Cilicia to the Holy Land, following the Armenian Genocide. His
father, Sarkis Behesnilian of Marash, and mother, Haigouhi Markarian
of Adana, had settled in Jerusalem and started a jewelry business.
Sarkis Behesnilian also supported and encouraged Armenian pottery
makers to continue the artistic tradition of Kutahya ceramic tiles,
which has survived to this day.
The Behesnilians had four daughters, Mary, Berjouhi, Vicky and
Artemis and one son, Garabed, all of whom were endowed with musical
and artistic talents.
Early on, Garabed’s life took a unique path developing into different
professional and artistic dimensions.
Immediately following the untimely loss of their father, the
Behesnilian family experienced a second exile when war broke out in
Palestine in 1948. They lost their business, home and property and
moved to Jordan, hoping things would settle in a few weeks so that
they could return to Jerusalem. After waiting for one year, they lost
all hope and moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where Garabed entered the
dental school of St. Joseph French University, earning his tuition
by playing violin in a local music group. Upon graduation, he moved
back to Amman where he began his dental practice. In three years,
he built his reputation as a prominent dentist, treating royalty,
nobility and the general public.
Turmoil and uncertain prospects in the Middle East forced him to
abandon his successful practice in Jordan and move to Chicago,
Ill., where his older sister, Mary, and her husband, Hovig Etian,
were living.
Following the loss of his father, all family responsibility fell on
Garabed’s shoulders; he took care of his mother and sisters wherever
he moved.His foreign degree in dentistry from a French University did
not allow him to practice his profession in the US. At the same time,
there were no openings for foreign students to be admitted to a dental
school in the US. Therefore, he decided to expand his education by
enrolling in the Chemistry Department of Northwestern University in
Chicago, while working at the chemistry lab. Short of one semester
from obtaining his master’s degree in chemistry, an opening was
available and he was admitted to the University of Detroit’s School
of Dentistry, from which he graduated in 1960. Therefore, once again,
he was qualified to practice dentistry.
Upon graduation, he opened his dental practice in downtown Detroit
(Vernor Highway). In 1985, he opened his second practice in Troy,
next to his art gallery, which he managed with his wife, Zabel. The
Belian Art Center became a beacon of arts, exhibitions and concerts
in the Troy area.Although he excelled in his dental practice, the
profession seemed too limited for his ambitions and dreams. He had
a side real-estate business and developed his hobbies of music and
art to a professional level, acquiring his music degree in 1968 from
the Detroit Institute of musical arts (violin) and then earning a
master’s degree in art history (1975) from Wayne State University.
His interest and expertise in the arts helped him build an outstanding
collection of paintings and sculptures, featuring ancient Egyptian,
Greek, Roman and African, as well as modern and avant-garde art –
an eclectic collection of exquisite museum quality and taste.
As an art connoisseur and art historian he was a sought-after
lecturer on almost all topics in fine arts. He was also fluent in six
languages.In 1969, Dr. Belian’s life had a lucky turn and entered
a new phase with love at first sight, when he met Zabel Sapsezian,
a nutritionist, a child psychologist and artist in her own right,
in Beirut. Their idyllic love and subsequent marriage in Lebanon
is like a page from a romantic novel. They married and settled in
Bloomfield Hills. They had three children; Ara, Lisa and Raffi,
who following in their parents’ footsteps, earned professional degrees.
Three years ago, Dr. Belian was in a life-threatening, head-on crash
with a semi-truck, which confined him to a hospital bed for five
months. Thanks to his determination and will to live, he miraculously
survived through the loving care and dedication of his wife and
children. He was not that lucky this time when he entered Beaumont
Hospital for a relatively routine surgical procedure and succumbed
on December 14.
Dr. Garabed Belian had a larger-than-life stature in the Detroit
Armenian community. For the last 31 years, he chaired the Fine Arts
Committee of St. John’s Armenian Church, where his wife Zabel was
also active. Through his organizational skill, his erudite lectures
and through his broad connections with the world art community, he
brought the awareness of fine arts to the Armenian community, which
was enriched through their acquisitions at the Fine Arts Committee
exhibitions.
In addition to his wife, Zabel, and children Ara, Lisa and
Dr. Raffi Belian, he leaves a son-in-law, Marc Welch of Los Angeles;
sisters Artemis (Dr. Vahan) Bedros and Vicky (Ben) Parian and two
grandchildren. He was the brother-in-law of Annie Best and Ohan
(Helen) Sapsezian.
Visitation and the funeral were held at St. John’s Armenian Church,
Southfield.