Arshile Gorky Work Acquired by Armenia’s National Gallery in Landmark New Exhibition

YEREVAN — The National Gallery of Armenia has officially opened the exhibition “Arshile Gorky: New York – Yerevan: A New Acquisition,” featuring the world-renowned Armenian American artist Arshile Gorky’s graphic work Untitled (1944) — pencil on paper, measuring 45.4 × 55.5 cm.

The event was attended by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, members of the government, and Deputy Minister Alfred Kocharyan.

Congratulating attendees on World Art Day, Minister Andreasyan noted that the date is significant for several reasons. Last year on the same day, the National Gallery reopened after nearly four years of renovation, made possible by more than 800 million drams in state funding. The reopening allowed the museum to redesign its permanent exhibition and make previously unseen works accessible to the public.

She recalled that on the day of the gallery’s reopening last year — which is also Arshile Gorky’s birthday — the museum displayed a small Gorky work that had been donated in 1974 as a symbolic tribute to the great artist. This year, exactly one year later, Armenia was able to commemorate his birthday in a far more substantial way: by welcoming an important original work into the National Gallery’s permanent collection.

According to the minister, the acquisition became possible through the state’s museum collection enhancement program. Through international auction monitoring conducted by the Culture Development Foundation, officials discovered that one of Gorky’s works was being offered by the prestigious Sotheby’s auction house. As a result of government intervention and cultural policy efforts, more than 30 million drams were allocated to secure the work, giving the Armenian public the opportunity to engage more deeply with one of the most significant artists of Armenian heritage.

Andreasyan added that the government allocated more than 330 million drams last year for the acquisition of cultural valuables for various museums. She expressed confidence that this year, too, Armenia will continue bringing important cultural treasures back home, placing them in Armenian museums and reconnecting the public with its cultural heritage.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that Arshile Gorky is one of the most significant figures in both world art and Armenian artistic heritage. He said the event reflects the government’s broader vision that the Republic of Armenia must become the cultural, intellectual, and ideological center of Armenian life worldwide.

Pashinyan noted that throughout history, centers of Armenian life have shifted from places such as Madras, Istanbul, Tbilisi, and Venice. Today, he said, Armenia seeks to ensure that the Republic itself serves as the permanent center of Armenian cultural life in every respect.

He further stressed that the critical mass of Armenian art and cultural heritage must reside in Armenia, adding that this acquisition is part of a larger government policy. Similar important repatriations of heritage have recently taken place at the History Museum and the Matenadaran, underscoring a deliberate strategy to bring Armenian-origin artistic and cultural treasures to Armenia as their enduring home.

The acquisition itself was made under the 2025 state-funded museum collections expansion program of Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. During monitoring of international auction houses and private galleries, the Culture Development Foundation identified Gorky’s Untitled (1944) at Sotheby’s in London.

The auction opened at €45,000, with an estimated top price of €70,000. During the December 3, 2025 auction, the Armenian government successfully acquired the piece for 30,978,000 drams (€70,749.60), after which it was permanently placed in the National Gallery of Armenia.