Painter Samsonian’s Family Promotes His Artistic Legacy

Still, Samsonian is not remembered at the same level as other notable Armenian painters such as Gorky. Semerdjian said that part of the reason was that Samsonian was “not much of a business man. He didn’t promote very well.” His wife tried to fill in the void, but she died at an early age. Afterwards, Samsonian stopped trying to show and sell his works. He never tried to use a publicist, as far as Semerdjian knows. The move to the US also changed his exposure to the outside world. Semerdjian speculates that if he had stayed in Egypt his works might have appeared in big auctions of Middle Eastern art and received high valuations.

Furthermore, Semerdjian pointed out that “Money, or rather investment in the form of money –thinking of one’s art as a business creates value. Why one painter who really never won any recognition – whether it be through community groups or state agencies – sells works posthumously at $100,000 [each] and another who did win awards and garner attention through exhibitions, etc., and was beloved by so many, sells privately for $15-20,000 has much to do with the kind of machine that is creating the story/allure. And to do that requires capital and time and business savvy.”

Now the family has initiated an effort to change this situation. It has begun to have his private collection of works professionally catalogued and photographed, and is trying to get scholars interested in placing Samsonian in the broader context of mid-twentieth century painting and Armenian diaspora painting in particular. It is approaching museums, according to Semerdjian, in order to get shows covering his seven decades of work. The first one recently took place at the Armenian Museum of America last September through November, and plans are afoot to have a version of this exhibition in Los Angeles by late spring of this year.

Samsonian’s work sometimes pops up in unexpected places. A publishing company called McDougal Little used some of his images in a ninth grade textbook featuring contemporary artwork paired with contemporary literature. However, the family had to remain vigilant and ended up pursuing a class action lawsuit because the company published many more copies than it had agreed to originally with Samsonian.

Another way the heirs promote his art is through the website rediscoveredmasters.com, which presents biographical information and images of 26 of his works. This website “proactively” promotes artists it feels are worthwhile to museums, galleries and collectors through curated exhibitions and essays. A second Armenian artist Rediscovered Masters promotes is Arthur Pinajian.

Samsonian’s works are for sale privately through the family and through the Rediscovered Masters website. Gallery Z in Providence, according to Semerdjian, has a few pieces too. Samsonian does have a dedicated group of followers outside of the art auction house world. His smaller pieces sell for around $1,000, while the larger oils are between $15,000 and $20,000 at present.

Semerdjian is optimistic about the future of Samsonian’s works. He concluded, “But what’s remarkable is how his work affected people and continues to affect. One look at those bold colors and gorgeous strokes and…I don’t know…it just seems to continue to resonate and vibrate at a high frequency for those in the know.”