Armenia buys gorky artwork at Sotheby’s auction

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian government has acquired the graphic artwork “Untitled” (1944) by renowned Armenian-American artist Arshile Gorky at an international auction, marking a significant addition to the national collection.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening of the exhibition titled “Arshile Gorky: New York – Yerevan. New Acquisition” at the National Gallery of Armenia.

“Our people have had different centers throughout history—at times Madras, at times Istanbul, at times Tbilisi, and at one point Venice. Today we say that the center of Armenian life in all respects—cultural, ideological, conceptual—is the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said in his remarks.

The “Untitled” work was presented at the Sotheby’s auction house in London. The 1944 graphic piece (paper, pencil, 45.4 × 55.5 cm) had a starting price of €45,000 and an estimated upper price of €70,000. During the auction held on December 3, 2025, the Armenian government purchased the work for 30,978,000 drams.

Among those attending the event were Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan, Director of the National Gallery of Armenia Marina Hakobyan, as well as government officials, representatives of the art sector, and guests.