Born in 1945

Honored Artist of Armenia, President of the Section of Painting at the Artists’ Union of Armenia, a teacher

Since 1976, member of the Artists’ Union of Armenia

Since 1994, member of the International Union of Professional Artists

Born in Artsakh. He received his elementary education in Baku (Azerbaijan) at Voskresenskiy’s studio, prominent Russian artist, who was exiled from Tsarist Russia. Later he moved to Moscow to continue his studies in Stroganov Art School, however soon he interrupted his studies at School and moved to Armenia where he entered Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre. He received his Post Graduate education in Moscow under the supervision of well-known socio-realist Kibrik. However in the result of ideological conflict aroused during the defense of his graduation work Arko did not accomplish his diploma degree and returned to Armenia. During the years spent in Moscow, he established close relations with the members of Russian dissident movement and alternative art. Then he preferred modernist trend in art which was considered to be nonsense during the Soviet time.

Since 1975 his works have been regularly exhibited in Armenia and abroad.
Since 1988 upon the establishment of constant contacts with German galleries, his works have been periodically exhibited there. Most prominent group exhibitions with Arko’s participation are Gyumri International Biennale Exhibition of Contemporary Art in 1998 and 2000, and the “Documenta” in Kassel in 1997. Arko is one of the eminent artists of the Armenian national modernism and one of the founders of abstract art in Armenia. He is a Master of collage and monumental art.

Perceiving the principles of the national artistic thought and redeveloping it through the prism of his art, Arko has reached the universal language of his own expression.

Enriching the abstract language with metaphysical colours, he brings the plastic image closer to a musical one. At the same time, despite the sensitivity which prevails in Armenian art, Arko’s canvases appear to be the result of intellectual generalizations.

Education
1971 – Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre

Personal exhibitions
1975 - Radio House, Yerevan, Armenia
1976 - Union of Architects, Yerevan, Armenia
1977 - Museum of Contemporary Art, Yerevan, Armenia
1988 - Herder Institute, Marburg, Germany
1989 - Cultural center of Armenia, Moscow, Russia
1989 - Municipality, Fulda, Germany
1990 - Museum of Contemporary Art “Mars”, Moscow, Russia
1991 - “Kunst –Garten” Gallery, Cologne, Germany
1992 - “Melnikov” Gallery, Heidelberg, Germany
1994 - Ziegenhain Bank, Germany
1996 - “Melnikov” Gallery, Heidelberg, Germany
1997 - “Mann” Gallery, Paris, France
1997 - “The Brothers Grim” Museum, Kassel, Germany
2000 - Artists Union of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia
2001 - Cultural Palace, Stepanakert, Artsakh
2002 - Siemens forum, Erlangen, Germany
2005 - Artists Union of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

Catalogues, encyclopedia, booklets

• Arko Arkadi Baghdasaryan, Moscow, 1989, /Russian, English/
• Arko 89, Ministry of Culture of Armenia, Yerevan 1989 /Armenian, Russian/
• Arte moderna Sovietica, Roma, 3-18 maggio, 1990, p.6
• Saur allgemeines Künstlerlexikon Die bildenden Künstler aller Yeiten Völker, Band 6, München – Leipzig 1992
• Arko Baghdasaryan, dedicated to 1700 Anniversary of Adoption of Christianity in Armenia, Stepanakert, Artsakh, May 2001 /Armenian, English/
• 75 Anniversary of Artists Union of Armenia, Yerevan 2007

Arko’s works are in a number of private and public collections in many countries, particularly in Germany