U.S. to host Armenian abstractionist Arthur Pinajian exhibit

PanARMENIAN.Net - On Thursday, March 29, Stephanie's Gallery in California U.S. will host a reception for the exhibition, "Pinajian: Master of Abstraction Discovered." Collectors will recall last year when hundreds enjoyed their first opportunity to view this Armenian American's paintings at the inaugural exhibition at the Zorayan Museum in Glendale. This delightful reprise exhibition at Stephanie's Gallery features new works not previously seen, and will run through May 12.

The fascinating story surrounding the Arthur Pinajian discovery first broke in the New York Times in March 2007, in a feature article titled, "Closing on a House, and a Life's Story, Told in Art."

After Pinajian's death in 1999, five decades of accumulated artwork was found stacked up in the one-car garage and attic of the Bellport cottage he shared with his sister. He had left instructions for his collection to be discarded in the town dump.

Fortunately for American art history, Lawrence E. Joseph, the best-selling author of Apocalypse 2012, bought the cottage and rescued the collection just in time. The result is a book and traveling exhibition that began at the Woodstock Art Association and Museum in Woodstock in New York in Summer, 2010. It then ran at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts from the fall through winter of that year before coming to the Zorayan Museum in Spring, 2011. The 128-page hardcover book contains essays by eminent art historians, Richard J. Boyle, Peter Hastings Falk, and William Innes Homer; plus art critic John Perreault.

Dr. Homer concluded that the essays collectively present one of the most compelling discoveries in the history of twentieth century American art: "Even though Pinajian was a creative force to be reckoned with, during his lifetime he rarely exhibited or sold his paintings. Instead, he pursued his goals in isolation with the single-minded focus of a Gauguin or Cézanne, refusing to give up in the face of public indifference. In his later years he could be compared to a lone researcher in a laboratory pursuing knowledge for its own sake. His exhaustive diaries and art notes make it clear that he dedicated all of his days to his art. He was passionate and unequivocally committed....Ultimately Pinajian's work reflects the soul of a flawed, yet brilliant, artistic genius. When he hits the mark, especially in his abstractions, he can be ranked among the best artists of his era."