Cafesjian Museum of Art

The Cafesjian Center for the Arts (also known as the Cafesjian Museum Foundation) is an art museum in Yerevan, Armenia. It is situated in central Yerevan in the area in and around the Cascade. At the core of the museum's permanent collection is the Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection of Art. The inauguration took place on the 17th November 2009. www.cmf.am

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History

Construction began in the Spring of 2005 and was expected to be completed in Spring 2008.[1] The Museum was completed in the Fall of 2009.

The museum was inaugurated on November 7, 2009, in Yerevan. The opening ceremony was attended by the Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan, minister of culture Hasmik Poghosyan, minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, as well as representatives of diplomatic missions in Armenia, various artists and political figures.[1]

Architecture

It is said that "the museum project represents one of the most ambitious works of contemporary architecture undertaken in any of the former republics of the Soviet Union." The New York Times described it as "a mad work of architectural megalomania and architectural recovery, (...) one of the strangest and most spectacular museum buildings to open in ages."[2]

The project was designed by the New York based architecture firm David Hotson Architects. The rest of the design team includes architect of record David Hotson Associates Architecs, Yerevan; structural engineer Dewhurst Macfarlane and Partners, New York, NY; structural engineer of record ArmProject, Yerevan and services and environmental engineer Atelier Ten, New York and London, UK.

Governance

The museum is run by the Cafesjian Museum Foundation, which was established in April 2002 in Yerevan under the auspices of the Armenian government and the Cafesjian Museum Foundation of America. The Armenian government provided the Foundation with a half-constructed "Cascade" complex and the surrounding area. The Foundation invested over 35 million dollars to complete the reconstruction of the Cascade.

Collection

Sculptor Work
Lynn Chadwick Sitting Forms, Stairs, Two watchers
Barry Flanagan Hare on Bell
Fernando Botero Cat, Roman warrior

Gallery

References

  1. ^ "Cascade Capital Holdings: Cafesjian Family Foundation". http://www.cch.am/index.cfm?objectid=FAEF7C7A-112F-60A1-B4FE0941B0F571AB. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 
  2. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (November 18, 2009). "Armenians Greet Their New Extravaganza of a Museum". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/arts/design/19abroad.html. Retrieved 2009-11-18. 

External links