On June 30, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan awarded sculptor Arto Chakmakchian with the Arshil Gorky Medal.

Harutioun (Arto) Chakmakchian was born in 1933 in Egypt. In 1948, he and his family repatriated to Soviet Armenia. Since 1975, Arto Chakmakchian has been living in Montreal, Canada.

Arto Chakmakchian is considered one of the founders of the expressive shaping method in the field of sculpting. With that method, he has sculpted the busts of Komitas, Kostan Zaryan and Arno Babajanyan, as well as the sculpture called “Liberty”. He is also one of the proclaimed masters of decorative-applied sculpting and has created the “Sasuntsi David” and “Harvest” sculptures. He is known for the “Komitas” and “Monument of April” sculptures. In 2010, UNESCO organized an exhibition of Arto Chakmakchian’s sculptures in Paris.

Praising Arto Chakmakchian’s contributions to the preservation of the Armenian identity and presentation of Armenian culture around the world, Minister Hranush Hakobyan particularly mentioned: “It’s a great honor for me to present one of the greatest artists, sculptor Arto Chakmakchian. Although he has spent a part of his life in Armenia and now lives in Canada, he has always been strongly linked to the Homeland. Chakmakchian has been one of the greatest phenomena in world culture for a long time.”

Expressing gratitude for the high award, Chakmakchian mentioned: “I have indirectly presented our country and have shown the world that our country has artists. I’ve gained recognition thanks to Armenia since the past and present of Armenian culture have served as nourishment for my art.”