Mural by Grigor Khanjyan

Located in Khanjyan Gallery is the monumental mural executed by the well-known Armenian painter Grigor Khanjyan (1926–2000). Commissioned for the original Soviet monument but left unfinished at the time of Khanjyan’s death, the three primary scenes of the mural illustrate important events in Armenia’s history: Armenian Alphabet (1992-1994); Vardanank (1995-1998); Armenia Resurrected (1998-2000). Khanjyan Gallery was completely renovated in 2009, and its austere, unadorned interior embodies the reverence many Armenians feel toward one of their country’s artistic treasures.

Grigor Khanjyan was born in 1926 in Yerevan. He graduated from Art College after Panos Terlemezyan in 1945 and from Yerevan Fine Arts Institute in 1951; Ara Bekaryan and Aduard Isabekyan were his professors. He began his creative career in 1951 and in 1953 he became a member of Arm. SSR Artists' Union and was elected a member of the Union’s governing body. Grigor Khanjyan became honorary painter of Arm. SSR in 1961 and was elected a corresponding member of Fine Arts Academy of USSR in 1963. He became Honorary Art Worker of Arm. SSR in 1963 and was elected a member of the governing body of the Artists’ Union of USSR. He became People's Painter of Arm. SSR in 1967, and in 1969 he was awarded with USSR state award for the illustration of the poem Unsilenceable Belfry by Paruyr Sevak. In 1973 the celebrated artist was elected a real member of Fine Arts Academy of USSR, and in 1973 he was elected a deputy of Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In 1982 he was elected a corresponding member of Arm. SSR Academy of Sciences and later became an academicion of the Academy. In 1983 he was awarded with the title People's Painter of USSR and in 1991 he became an honorary member of Fine Arts Academy of Russia. Khanjyan received awards, medals and rewards of Arm. SSR and Republic of Armenia. The artist died in Yerevan in 2000.