Ruben Kochar spoke about the missing works of Ervand Kochar
On November 20, Ervand Kochar’s son, filmmaker Ruben Kochar, and lawyer Tigran Atanesyan addressed statements published in the media the previous day. Ruben Kochar expressed concern that some of the works displayed in the museum are not authentic. They have raised this issue with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports. It was revealed that periodic inspections have been conducted at the museum. However, as the lawyer points out, these are usually self-inspections, with the ministry being informed that everything is in order.
In this context, he referred to Ervand Kochar’s Self-Portrait.
“The Self-Portrait has a wooden line at the bottom, painted by Kochar himself. My father once showed me that the wood underneath had two nail holes. Which were also painted. My father told me that no one in Armenia could paint such holes. Today, those holes are missing from the painting. If the frame was resized and the holes were covered as a result, that is another issue,” – stated Ruben Kochar.
As the lawyer mentioned, works such as Three in a Café, The Man with the Mask, By the Window, The Reclining Woman, Composition: Duduk, and others have disappeared. The latter was found in Moscow. According to Kochar, the painting was donated to the museum by Moscow-based businessman Emil Sargsyan.
After Kochar’s death, the museum was opened by his wife, Manik Mkrtchyan. She suggested that the paintings inherited by their sons be kept in the museum. Ruben Kochar handed over 21 works to the museum.
“When the 125th anniversary of Kochar approached, I decided to take significant steps to bring Ervand Kochar’s works out of Armenia. We all see and know them here in Armenia. When I realized that it was difficult to remove state-owned works, I said I would take my own works and exhibit them. However, when I went to the museum, they told me to wait for a week. After that, Lala and Karine Kochars gave me a list. It contained color photographs, with notes indicating that certain works were missing,” – said the artist’s son.
Kochar has stated that he does not plan to take the works back from the museum. However, they have approached the State Oversight Service with the aim of resolving the issue.