President Sarkissian opened an exhibition of renowned Armenian photographers: Armenian photography has always had great traditions

Today, at the Presidential Palace an open-air exhibition titled "The Historic Legacy of the Armenian Photography" has been opened in the framework of the First Armenian International Photofestival.

At the opening ceremony, the founder of the photofestival Tatev Mnatsakanian expressed gratitude to President Sarkissian for hosting such a beautiful exhibition in the gardens of the Presidential Palace. "You will see the most beautiful exhibits of the First Armenian International Photofestival, the gem of the exhibitions," she said.

Stressing the importance of holding such exhibitions, President Armen Sarkissian underscored that photography became an inseparable part of our daily life and every one of us, through our cellphones, has become a kind of photographer; however, one should remember that photography is first and foremost a great art. "Photography is first and foremost a great art. We can be proud because the Armenian photography has always had great traditions. We made an impressive contribution to the world art of photography. I would like to wish our young photographers the same - be worthy of our masters and carry on with their work," the President of Armenia said. "Photopictures also tell history, and today's exhibition proves that photographs carry a huge bulk of information, informatiion about the time periods and peoples."

According to the President, the exhibition has another purpose, too - make us learn about ourselves, our values, and our greatest personalities. "When months ago I went to Gyumri and said that we need to learn about our Fatherland, those were not just words. It is really necessary to get out of Yerevan because our Fatherland is much bigger than our city. And this exhibition is one of those instances - let's come to know ourselves, not only Gyumri, Artsakh, Vanadzor, or Syunik but us, too. Let's start with ourselves," President Sarkissian noted. He stressed that this exhibition, held on the grounds of the Presidential Palace, is a token of appreciation to our great Armenian art of photography.

The exhibition is organized through the joint efforts of the Presidential Administration and the founder of the photofestival Tatev Mnatsakanian. The pictures have been provided by the Andranik Kochar Museum of Photography, while the collection for the exhibition has been prepared by the son of the renowned photographer, Vahan Kochar. The exhibition presents also works of the famous Armenian photographers Abdullah brothers, Antoin Sevruguin, Yusuf Qarshi, Ida Kar, Ara Guler, Vladimir Mussaelian, Harry Kundakjian, and others. The exhibition at the Presidential Palace will be open till September 22.