Grigor Khanjyan

Grigor Khanjyan
Commemorative plaque on Khanjyan's house in Yerevan
Born	November 29, 1926
Died	April 19, 2000 Yerevan, Armenia
Nationality	Armenian
Known for	History Painting
Notable work	Illustrations for Wounds of Armenia, Triptych "History of Armenia"
Movement	Socialist Realism

Grigor Khanjyan (Nov. 29, 1926 - Apr. 19, 2000) is a highly celebrated Soviet-Armenian artist, painter, and illustrator. He is most notable for his illustrations of historical novels and poems, and murals and tapestries on historical topics. In 1983 Khanjyan was appointed a member of the highest order of chivalry in Soviet art (only 159 members during Soviet history) - the "People's Artist of Soviet Union".

Khanjyan was born in Yerevan, Soviet Armenia. He was the fourth and last child of Sebuh and Verginie - genocide survivors from Yerznka, who settled in Armenia in 1920. Grigor has mentioned on several occasions that a doctor had advised his mother, already in relatively advanced age, to get pregnant in order to avoid some health problems and that is the reason for him to be conceived. Soon after Sovietization of Armenia, Sebuh had to leave his main profession and become an accountant. Grigor had one elder brother who became a musician.

Panos Terlemezian - who was a friend of Sebuh Khanjyan - first discovered art talent in little Grigor. In 1945, Grigor finished the coursework at Terlemezian Art College in Yerevan and at the age of 19 (together with fellow painters Levon Manaseryan and Van Khachatur) entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan. At the Academy Khanjyan mostly studied under the guidance of the prolific thematic-compositional artist Eduard Isabekyan whose influence was strong on the style of Khanjyan's works in early years.

Khanjyan never joined the Communist Party (something highly expected for having success in the Soviet Union) and had opted for nationalist instead of Soviet very often. For example, for his graduation work he chose the topic of 1907 Communist Congress in London, but pictured Stepan Shahumyan (ethnic Armenian) instead of Joseph Stalin (as expected) next to Lenin. In 1965, for the All-Soviet Exhibition of Graphic Art Khanjyan sent his illustrations of Sevak's Never-abating Bell Tower - a story of Armenian Genocide.