Arshile Gorky Returns to Watertown: A Homecoming and a Groundbreaking Exhibition

WATERTOWN, MA – The Armenian Museum of America is proud to present Arshile Gorky: Redrawing Community and Connections, a landmark exhibition that opened on December 11, 2025. This is the first exhibition of Gorky’s work in an Armenian museum, capping a series of programs initiated by the “100 Years of Arshile Gorky” Committee in Watertown.

As Murray Whyte of The Boston Globe writes:

“Arshile Gorky arrived in the United States in 1920 as a teenager, having survived the Armenian genocide in 1915 and then a dark period when his mother died of starvation. Arriving in Watertown, the young Gorky found his way to Boston’s New England School of Art in 1923, where his professional arc as a foundational member of Abstract Expressionism, the very first bona fide international art movement made in America, would begin.”

Curated by Kim S. Theriault, author of Rethinking Arshile Gorky, and sponsored by the JHM Charitable Foundation, the exhibition features 26 works from lenders across the country, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Housatonic Museum of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, and the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.

Arshile Gorky (c. 1904–1948) played a pivotal role in shaping modern art in America. A self-taught painter, his work helped usher in Abstract Expressionism, the first internationally recognized American art movement and a lasting influence on artists worldwide. This exhibition focuses on Gorky’s relationships and sense of community, from his humble beginnings in Watertown as Vostanik Manoug Adoian to his later life as a celebrated artist.

Art was his way to connect, to rebuild after loss, and to create belonging in the wake of exile and the unacknowledged trauma of the Armenian Genocide. Through works shared by family, fellow artists, and members of the Armenian Diaspora, the exhibition reveals how connection shaped Gorky’s art and identity. His paintings, rooted in memory and renewal, show how he redrew what it meant to be an artist in America—by creating not only compositions, but community.

“As the first Armenian museum to host an exhibition of Arshile Gorky’s work, we are honored to share this remarkable collection with our members and visitors to the Museum,” commented Michele M. Kolligian, President of the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown, MA.

“Gorky’s life and art reflect resilience, creativity, and the enduring power of community. This exhibition celebrates his extraordinary contributions to modern art and offers us an intimate look at the relationships and experiences that shaped him and his art.

“The entire Museum organization is filled with deep pride and excitement in being given the opportunity to present these rarely seen works and to invite visitors to engage with Gorky’s story in a meaningful way. We also extend our profound gratitude to the JHM Foundation for their sponsorship of this very special exhibition, and for their continued support of our mission.”