Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia Vladimir Abrahamyan
“Music has colors too; blue, for instance, is a dream….”
— Vladimir Abrahamyan
Vladimir Abrahamyan, Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, was a devoted lover of classical music. Music was always playing in his studio. When he was creating, he would often turn on his record player first. His rich collection of audio tapes, still preserved in the studio today, remains arranged just as he had organized it himself.
Vladimir Abrahamyan was born in 1941, on a beautiful late-autumn day, in a charming little village surrounded by vineyards. His mother had set out halfway to bring bread and water to the harvesters, but turned back… It was in a wheat field that he was born.
Volodya, later known as Vladimir, was the fifth child of Smbat and Siranush, a hardworking couple living in Bjni. No one in the family had any connection to painting, let alone to the arts. Only later did the boy’s interest, love, and talent for drawing begin to reveal themselves. More than once, V. Abrahamyan remarked that it was nature itself that taught him how to paint.
Who could have known that the childhood images, never to fade from his azure eyes, would one day become paintings—works that would warm people’s hearts and adorn museums?
It is impossible to confine V. Abrahamyan’s art to a single genre. He worked with equal mastery across all genres. Bright, vivid colors are a defining feature of the artist’s palette.
Long, elaborate stories were not written about him, but he enriched the stories of others: whether a book cover or an illustrated page, he gave every work its own distinctive color and form…
It was with the purpose of telling people about his art—and of telling that story in a contemporary language—that ART VLadi MIR was created. It was created so that, through the art of V. Abrahamyan, Armenian art could reach and resonate with a wider audience…
Biographical Information
1941–2020
- 1941— Born in the village of Bjni, Kotayk Province, Armenia.
- 1966— Graduated from the Panos Terlemezyan State College of Fine Arts.
- 1971— Graduated from the Yerevan State Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre.
Professional Career
- 1973–1976— Lecturer at the Yerevan State Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre.
- 1980–1991— Production Designer in the Editorial Department of Literary and Artistic Programs at the State Committee for Television and Radio.
- 1993–1995— Art Editor at the 02 weekly newspaper of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- 1995–1999— Art Editor at Arevik Publishing House.
- 1999–2014— Lecturer at the Panos Terlemezyan State College of Fine Arts.
- 2015–2020— Lecturer at Abovyan State College.
- 1975–2020— Member of the Artists’ Union of Armenia.
Exhibitions
Beginning in 1972, Vladimir Abrahamyan participated in numerous national, all-Union, and international exhibitions.
- 1975— Tyumen, Tyumen Region, Russia
- 1976— Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia, Russia
- 1979— Arkhangelsk, Arkhangelsk Region, Russia
- 1983— Sweden
- 1983— Poland
- 1986— United States
- 1991— France
Solo Exhibitions
- 2005— Nanchang, China
- 2011— Yerevan, Armenia
- 2017— Yerevan, Armenia — anniversary exhibition
- 2019— Yerevan, Armenia
Posthumous Exhibitions
- 2021— Yerevan, Armenia
- 2023— Yerevan, Armenia
Honors and Awards
- 2005— Received a Letter of Appreciation from the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
- 2009— Received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Mayor of Yerevan.
- 2011— Received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia.
- 2013— Awarded the honorary title of Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia.
More than 1,000 works by Vladimir Abrahamyan are held in the family collection, as well as in the National Gallery of Armenia, various museums, and private collections in the United States, France, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Germany, China, and Russia.
Vladimir Abrahamyan was also the designer of more than 250 books.
