Mirror Spectator: Quinn Exhibit Brings LA Cool to Armenian Museum

WATERTOWN, MA--The dual exhibits, “On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s – 1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection” and “Discovering Takouhi: Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn,” currently on display at the Armenian Museum of America, merge the two facets of this woman: muse and supporter of the cool LA art scene as well as society patron in the Armenian community. It is hard to imagine anyone else able to draw a direct line connecting Andy Warhol to the Armenian International Women’s Association. Quinn does, however, and is equally at home in both worlds.

The exhibits, which will be on display through November 30, feature remarkable works of art from some of the most notable post-modernist and Pop artists, including Ed Ruscha, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney, as well as many notable artists from Armenia, which the Quinns collected over the past six decades. Most would be right at home at a major metropolitan museum.

The woman at the center of it all, Quinn, was present for the grand opening on June 16 and took part in a private tour before the official opening reception. It was uncanny to be next to the woman who was represented in myriad forms on every wall. Many of the artists have captured the colorfulness — literally and figuratively — of this delightfully bubbly muse. In person, she appears much as she does in many of the portraits surrounding her, bright and sparkling, complete with fuchsia-tinged hair and bedecked in chunky jewelry.

California’s Most Notable Contemporary Artists from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection Makes Debut in Boston

Accompanying Exhibition Presents Armenian Artists from the

Joan Agajanian Quinn Portrait Collection

Ed Ruscha, Mocha Standard #28/100, 1969, Silkscreen, 30.25 x 44.75 inches, courtesy of the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection.

WATERTOWN, MA – The Armenian Museum of America is pleased to present their largest contemporary exhibition, On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s - 1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection. This selection of work explores a period that is pivotal to understanding current practices and the West Coast mentality. Included are Lita Albuquerque, John Altoon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lynda Benglis, Vija Celmins, Gregory Wiley Edwards, Claire Falkenstein, Frank Gehry, David Hockney, John M. Miller, Helmut Newton, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, and more.

On the Edge premiered at the Bakersfield Museum of Art in 2021 and was curated by Rachel McCullah Wainwright. “The work and artists on display have come to represent a period of history that transformed art making,” said Wainwright. “Art made in Los Angeles during the late 1960s and 1970s onward is defined by a unique spirit of anti-conformity, a play of new materials, a celebration of light, and the California cool ethos.” 

Part of what makes the collection so unique is its foundation in friendship between artist and collector. “Few individuals have left such an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of Southern California more than the Quinns,” says Wainwright.

Newly married in the 1960s, Joan and Jack took to collecting early. “We revelled in our friendship with the artists as we brought our communities together,” notes Quinn. Jack used his skills as a prominent and influential attorney to help an array of emerging artists and their dealers navigate the worlds of law and business, while Joan found herself both muse and promoter.

The companion exhibit, Discovering Takouhi: Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn, curated by Natalie Varbedian and Gina Grigorian includes Armenian artists such as Dahlia Elsayed, Jean Kazandjian, Silvina Der Meguerditchian, Ara Oshagan, Zaven Sarkissian, and Aram Saroyan. The distinctive works are a selection from Quinn’s unprecedented collection of portraits consisting of over 300 gifts by friends who have painted, sculpted and photographed her image in their style.

“We are incredibly excited to exhibit these prominent works owned by American-Armenian collectors Joan Agajanian Quinn and her daughters Amanda Quinn Olivar and Jennifer Quinn Gowey,” says AMA Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “We are a living museum that preserves and shares ancient and medieval artifacts and has a long tradition of also highlighting modern art in our galleries. These are certainly exhibits you will not want to miss.”

Joan is the co-host of Beverly Hills View and has been the producer and host of the Joan Quinn Profiles for over 35 years. The Los Angeles native was West Coast Editor of Andy Warhol’s Interview, Society Editor of Hearst’s Los Angeles Herald Examiner, and the founding West Coast Editor of Condé Nast Traveler. She has been appointed to an array of city and state commissions, and in 2017 Joan received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

The exhibition opens on Thursday, June 16 with a reception for Museum members at 5:00 pm and a preview for non-members at 7:00 pm. It runs from June 16 to November 30 and is generously sponsored by the JHM Charitable Foundation.

The Armenian Museum of America’s galleries are open Thursday through Sunday from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and it is located at 65 Main Street, Watertown, MA.

New England Magazine Selects Armenian Museum as One of 10 Best Places to Visit in Boston

The Armenian Museum was selected by New England Magazine as one of the 10 best places to visit in Boston, alongside events such as the Boston Calling Music Festival and the Arnold Arboretum.

Located in Watertown in Greater Boston, the Armenian Museum of America is home to the largest collection of Armenian artifacts in North America. Among its permanent displays is this exhibition [“Stitching to Survive”] showcasing a sampling of different genres of Armenian women’s art created in the last century. Embroidered clothing, exquisite laces, knitted socks, domestic furnishings, knotted rugs, and other fine examples made for domestic use or to be sold commercially.

Chris Bohjalian to Discuss Latest Novel with Stephen Kurkjian May 18

Twelve years later, New York Times bestselling author of 23 books, Chris Bohjalian, returns to the Armenian Museum of America to talk about his latest novel The Lioness with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Kurkjian. This event will be held on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 pm at the Armenian Museum of America, 65 Main St, Watertown, MA.

The discussion between the two is highly anticipated in Boston and its surrounding communities. Bohjalian’s most recent novel, Hour of the Witch, was published in May 2021 and was an instant New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today and IndieBound bestseller. It's a novel of historical suspense set in 1662 Boston, a tale of the first divorce in North America for domestic violence—and a subsequent witch trial. The Washington Post called it "historical fiction at its best.” The New York Times called it "harrowing."

His 2018 novel, The Flight Attendant, debuted as a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and National IndieBound Bestseller. It is now an HBO Max series, starring Kaley Cuoco that has been nominated for numerous Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe awards. It was recently renewed for a second season. Bohjalian’s work has been translated into 35 languages and three times have become movies.

When Bohjalian spoke at the museum in 2012, he discussed the Armenian-themed The Sandcastle Girls, a sweeping historical love story that probes the depths of love, family, and secrets during WWI. Now, in contrast, The Lioness tells the story of a luxurious African safari that turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her entourage. Set in 1964 in Tanzania, actress Katie Barstow and her new husband have invited a glittering entourage of co-stars, managers, and publicists for a safari adventure. Envisioning candlelit dinners and capturing wildlife on film, the group instead face a team of Russian mercenaries and a botched kidnapping as violence and rebellion rage next door in the eastern Congo.

Stephen Kurkjian is one of the most acclaimed investigative reporters in the country. A 40-year veteran of the Boston Globe, he is the paper’s former Washington bureau chief and a founding member of its investigative Spotlight Team. Kurkjian has won more than 25 national and regional awards, including the Pulitzer Prize on three occasions.

“We are delighted to host the two esteemed authors under the auspices of the museum’s Library Committee, since books continue to be an integral part of our mission and our collection,” says Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “We are proud to share the launching of on-site events since 2019 with Chris Bohjalian and Steve Kurkjian. We hope you will mark your calendars and join us on this very special evening.”

Signed copies of The Lioness will be available for purchase at the event, which is free and open to the public.

Registration is required via Eventbrite.

New Exhibition Unveiled on The Art of the Armenian Khachkar

Rev. Fr. Torkom Chorbajian blessed the khachkar in a ceremony attended by Museum President Michele Kolligian, Trustee Steve Migridichian, Vice President Bob Khederian, Executive Director Jason Sohigian, and Director of Finance Berj Chekijian

The Armenian Museum of America recently unveiled a new exhibition in our second-floor gallery. “The Art of the Armenian Khachkar” was curated by Helen C. Evans, an Academic Advisor to the Museum who is the Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art Emerita at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The khachkar, which literally means “cross stone,” is recognized worldwide as a symbol of the Armenian people. In 2010, UNESCO placed khachkars on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since the 9th century, Armenians have used khachkars as memorials to people and events. Over the centuries, their designs became increasingly elaborate and some even became venerated as miracle-working objects, notes Dr. Evans in the exhibit text.

The khachkar on display has a unique history. It was carved from tuff by Vanadzor-based sculptor Bogdan Hovhannisyan. The 630-pound slab of volcanic stone was shipped all the way from Armenia to Washington, DC, where it was carved during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival held on the National Mall. The 2018 event, “Armenia: Creating Home,” presented traditional crafts and foods integral to the identity of the Armenian people.

“The Armenian Museum was excited to acquire this piece from the Smithsonian Institution because we wanted to highlight the artistry of the khachkar. We wanted an authentic piece,” notes Executive Director Jason Sohigian, “but we did not want to remove a khachkar from its historical location in Armenia. This work has everything going for it because it is intricately carved, and Bogdan is a master carver continuing a tradition of Armenian artisans who have been making khachkars for more than 1,000 years.”

This exhibition is sponsored by Garabed and Aghavny Tovmassian-Kasparian of Worcester, who provided a leadership gift in honor of their ancestors who were survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Mrs. Tovmassian sadly passed away this week, and the khachkar was blessed in a ceremony at the Museum by her pastor, Rev. Fr. Torkom Chorbajian.