Moscow Armenian Museum Showcases Armenian Genocide, Culture and History

The Armenian Museum was able to get what was necessary to prepare its genocide exhibits from the museums of the Armenian State Pedagogical University, the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute, and several other Yerevan museums or institutes.

When all the work had been completed for the church complex, Grigoryan said that the Armenian clergy, led by Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, the local Primate, declared that the complex must be owned and controlled by the clergy. This forced Grigoryan and his collaborators to move the museum in December 2015 to another location in the same area, while another museum, which became called Tapan [“Ark”] remained in the complex.

Collections

The museum in its new location, Grigoryan said, hosts a library with rare books and publications. It has a number of Armenian medieval manuscripts, and a collection of Armenian costumes. It has ancient artifacts such as a vessel from the 3^rd to 2^nd centuries B.C., found during excavations in Syunik, Armenia.

However, the physical artifacts in its collections primarily date from the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Among these is the medal “Capture of the Erivan Fortress,” which was issued to commemorate the conclusion of the Russo-Persian War of 1826-28, which led to the annexation of Eastern Armenia to the Russian Empire. The charter of the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages (1855) and the illustrated magazine Mayak of Armenia (1881) are part of exhibits on the Moscow Armenian community.

A number of publications and artifacts displayed concern the massacres of Ottoman Armenians under Sultan Abdulhamid II and the Genocide, including an issue of the magazine Le Rire [The Laughter], published in Paris in 1897 with a caricature of Abdulhamid, the “Bloody Sultan,” and the Russian-language anthology entitled Fraternal Assistance to Armenians Injured in Turkey including the writings of various writers, scholars and historians published in Moscow in 1897 by Grigory Dzhanshiev [Krikor Janshian].

Postage stamps “Petrograd to Armenians” and “Help to the Middle East” are in the same section along with the medal “Armenians and Russians in the Year of Trials” (1915).

Interactive Displays

The emphasis of the museum is on virtual interactive displays. In addition to the Armenian Genocide exhibition mentioned above, there are several other important sections. For example, there is an online interactive globe which provides information on Armenian communities throughout the world. When the globe is turned, on the screen the location of local Armenian communities appear. Zooming in, information on the numbers of Armenians living there, and their institutions, including schools, churches and festivals, appears.

Another similar virtual exhibit showcases contemporary Armenian painters, with their works, biographies and explanations. Grigoryan said that the museum is working to turn this into a 3D exhibit.

Grigoryan noted that the latter part of the name of the museum includes “And Other Nations” because of the importance of world cultures. He said, “We must place our Armenian culture in the context of all world culture. That is possible when you have expositions comparing it with other cultures and human values.” Furthermore, he added, “If you only show yourself you are merely praising yourself.”

Special Exhibitions and Lectures

Over the past six months, according to the staff of the museum, 20 lectures and temporary exhibitions were held in the museum’s lecture hall and exhibition space. Among them is the exhibition of the People’s Artist of Russia Valery Polotnov “Armenia. Russia. With love…”.

There were several events dedicated to the anniversary of the Second Artsakh War — a photo exhibition by war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev called “Black Gardens of War,” screenings of the documentaries by war correspondents Timofey Ermakov and Mikhail Axel Unbroken Artsakh and Armenia after the War, and an art exhibition by Samvel Hakobyan.

On the 33rd anniversary of the Spitak earthquake, the museum hosted a photo exhibition by Alexander Shchemlyaev, “December-88. Earthquake in Armenia,” presenting previously unpublished photos from Spitak and Gyumri.

Among past lectures, we can highlight the lectures of Natalia Tigranovna Pakhsaryan, Doctor of Philology and Professor of Lomonosov Moscow State University, about two French writers of Armenian origin – playwright Arthur Adamov and novelist Henri Troyes. Architect Tigran Harutyunyan on different occasions spoke on the national symbols and urban space of Armenia after the collapse of the USSR, while cinema expert Georgy Nersesov’s presentation was on Sergei Parajanov’s classic film The Color of Pomegranates.

In February, the museum inaugurated a photo exhibition of Russian photographer and traveler Arseniy Kotov called “Architecture of Armenia: Soviet Heritage,” dedicated to the monuments of Armenian architectural modernism of the Soviet era. Immediate plans also include an exhibition by artist Marie Gevorgyan and an art exhibition dedicated to the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Lectures and events are generally held in Russian. If there are talks in Armenian, as in the case of lecturers from Armenia, simultaneous translation is provided into Russian. Videos are also in Russian, and sometimes subtitles in Armenian or English are provided.

Staff and Cooperation with Other Museums and Institutions

The staff of the Armenian Museum includes a director, a curator of exhibition spaces, and editors. They supervise the work of the museum’s website, lecture hall and exhibition space, as well as dissemination of information on social networks, along with visual design. It also includes a photographer, videographer, editor and technical specialist. In all, according to Grigoryan, there are some 15 people.

Many freelance correspondents who study Armenian history and culture also contribute to the museum’s work. They are from different parts of Armenia, Norway, Italy, France, Lebanon and the US. The museum frequently publishes articles on cultural topics.

Furthermore, according to Grigoryan and the museum staff, the museum interacts with a large number of cultural institutions in Russia and Armenia. It has worked in Armenia with the National Gallery of Armenia, the Russian Museum, the Saryan Museum and the Parajanov House Museum. It has carried out a variety of joint exhibition projects with the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the A[leksandr]. S[ergeyevich]. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Avetik Burnazyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center Museum, Moscow Museum, Moscow Union of Artists, Greek Cultural Center in Moscow, the Culture Fund “Actual Art,” the project “Mania Cinema,” the Russian State Library, the Museum of Russian-Armenian Friendship in Rostov-on-Don and the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow.

The museum also cooperates with various institutions in other countries in Europe, including France.

Grigoryan said that it has as many as 200,000 followers on social media. The number of physical visitors per month will depend on the types of events and presentations at that time, but on average it is 250-300 people, mostly Russians and Armenians. There are periodically also groups of Georgian, Greek, Iranian or Yezidi visitors.

Turkish and Azerbaijani Relations

Grigoryan said that Turks or Azerbaijanis never tried to halt the creation of the museum or exert direct pressure. However, on social media, like Facebook, they protest its posts and attempt to close its sites, while in exchange the museum registers its own protests. If there are constructive discussions, however, the museum staff replies to the substance of comments.

Recently, when the museum screened a film about Garegin Nzhdeh made by Armenians in the Russian language, Azerbaijanis made a lot of noise because they said Nzhdeh was a fascist who worked with the German Nazis, but Grigoryan said that the museum responded with its own articles showing that this was false.

A video tour of the original museum site follows.