WATERTOWN — The Armenian Museum of America recently announced the opening of a landmark exhibition, “Arshile Gorky: Redrawing Community and Connections,” on December 11. This is the first exhibition of Gorky’s work in an Armenian museum, and it caps off a series of programs initiated by the “100 Years of Arshile Gorky” Committee in the City of Watertown.
The exhibition is curated by Kim S. Theriault, author of Rethinking Arshile Gorky published by Penn State University Press, and it is sponsored by the JHM Charitable Foundation.
“We aimed high in the planning of this show dedicated to an Armenian artist who immigrated to Watertown in the aftermath of the Genocide, like so many of our compatriots,” explained Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “Our success was driven by the partnerships, especially from the Arshile Gorky Foundation and its director Parker Field, which were behind us from the start.”
The exhibit includes 25 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. Many of the works have never been seen publicly, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for visitors to experience works long hidden in private collections and rarely displayed by museums.
“Arshile Gorky: Redrawing Community and Connections” explores key phases in Gorky’s artistic evolution, as it came to transform the trajectory of modern art in America during the first half of the 20th century. The exhibition illustrates how Gorky worked to forge a new life and artistic identity in the wake of exile and profound personal loss.
This exhibition serves as a fitting finale to the yearlong celebration, “100 Years of Arshile Gorky,” by the City of Watertown, where he lived after his escape from the Armenian Genocide. “This collection of works highlights the largely self-taught artist’s resilience, determination, and remarkable ability to create both art and community in his adopted home,” said Development Director Sarah Hayes.
