Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, Professor of Civil Engineering and holder of the Taisei Chair at the University of California, Berkeley, will give an illustrated lecture on The Life and Work of Sumbat, on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA).

Prof. Der Kiureghian, the son of the artist, is the author of a book on his father's work. Sumbat Der Kiureghian (1913-1999) is the most celebrated Iranian watercolorist of the 20th century. A descendant of 17th century Armenian settlers in the New Julfa district of Isfahan, he embodied the artistic traditions of his people and of his hometown. He is admired for his watercolor and gouache renditions of Iranian and Armenian village scenes and of landscapes.

The lecture is co-sponsored by ALMA and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).