Martiros Saryan House Museum, Yerevan
Address: 3, Martiros Saryan Str., Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 58-05-68
Working hours: Friday-Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. till 06:00 p.m.
Closed: on Thursday
Yerevan is replete with incredible museums, and Martiros Saryan House Museum is perhaps the most colorful of them all.
Martiros Saryan was a great 20th-century Armenian portrait, still life and landscape painter who was not afraid to use bold and vibrant colors in his works, leading many to affectionately refer to him as a Master of Color. In reference to Martiros Saryan House Museum, Italian scriptwriter Tonino Guerra aptly remarked, “To come to Yerevan and not visit the museum of the great artist Martiros Saryan is equivalent to missing out on a magic light…it overflowed me with the desire to live”.
Whether you are an artist or simply wish to brighten your day, a visit to Martiros Saryan House Museum in Yerevan is a must.
History of the Museum
On November 26, 1967, the Soviet Armenian government established Martiros Saryan House Museum in the home where the artist lived and worked from 1932 until his death in 1972. Saryan, who was in his late 80s when the museum first opened, was delighted to see the fulfillment of his longtime wish to have his works displayed in a Yerevan museum.
Saryan’s house was built by the eminent Alexander Tamanian, an Armenian architect who designed the layout of modern Yerevan and whose statue can be seen in front of Cascade Complex. Originally a two-story house, in 1967 the third-story gallery was added. The museum was first directed by Saryan’s son, and in more recent times the artist’s granddaughter Rouzan Saryan was appointed manager of the gallery.
Visiting Martiros Saryan House Museum
Experiencing Armenia through the lens of Saryan’s artwork is a truly magical experience, and it is no wonder that his captivating colors and talented creations continue to inspire beginners and professionals alike.
Although small, the museum is a modern, well-designed gallery. Its three floors contain more than three hundred works of Martiros Saryan which are displayed in chronological order. Visitors can view sketches and paintings from different periods of the artist’s life, starting with his earliest drawings and ending with the paintings created during his final years. Some of his most famous works include: “Midday Silence”, “Apricot Tree in Blossom”, “Autumn Still Life”, “Under the Apricot Tree” and “View of Ararat from Yerevan”.
A selection of Saryan’s personal belongings and the studio where he worked are also on display at the museum. If you would like to commemorate your visit, you can purchase a copy of your favorite Martiros Saryan painting at the small museum gift shop.
Martiros Saryan House Museum is located at 3 Martiros Saryan Street, roughly 20 minutes by foot from Republic Square and 15 minutes from Cascade Complex.