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Cafesjian Center for the Arts Photo by Maria.hovsepyan Wikimedia

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Cafesjian Museum of Art

Cafesjian Museum of Art,  officially the Cafesjian Center for the Arts , also known as the Cafesjian Museum Foundation is an art museum in Yerevan, Armenia. It is located at the central Kentron District, in and around the Yerevan Cascade which is a complex of massive staircase with fountains, ascending up from the Tamanyan Street gardens and pedestrian zone.

Inspired by the vision of its founder, Gerard L. Cafesjian, the museum offers a wide variety of exhibitions, derived from the Gerard L. Cafesjian collection of contemporary art. Let’s take a look at some of the most outstanding facts about the museum;

1.The Cafesjian Museum Foundation was established in April 2002 and opened in 2009

Cafejian museum  for the Arts Photo by Maria

The Cafesjian Museum Foundation was established in April 2002 in Yerevan under the auspices of the Government of Armenia and the Cafesjian Museum Foundation of America. The Armenian government provided the foundation with the half-constructed Yerevan Cascade complex along with the surrounding area.

The construction of the Cafesjian Museum was launched in April 2005 and was expected to be completed in April 2008. However, with a slight delay, the grand opening of the museum took place on 17 November 2009. Over one million people have visited the Center annually since its opening.

2.The opening of the museum was attended by top leaders in the country

The opening ceremony was attended by the Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan, minister of culture Hasmik Poghosyan, minister of diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, as well as representatives of diplomatic missions in Armenia, various artists and political figures.

The Cafesjian Museum Foundation invested over 35 million dollars to complete the reconstruction of the Cascade. It has since become one of the best tourist attraction centers with a host of top events over the years. It is one of the most visited places in Armenia. 

3.It was designed by architects Jim Torosyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan, Sargis Gurzadyan

Cafesjian Center for the Arts Photo by Maria.hovsepyan

The beginning of the construction of the cascade dates back to 1971, designed by architects Jim Torosyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan, Sargis Gurzadyan. The first phase of the plan was completed in 1980.

The cascade is a complex massive staircase on both sides with fountains in between, ascending up from the Tamanyan Street gardens and pedestrian zone. Having five levels, the number of the stairs is 572, ascending along 302 meters upwards.

4.The museum contains 2 separate sections 

Cafesjian Museum interior, Yerevan Cascade Photo sourced from

The museum consists of 2 separate sections: the external known as the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden, and the internal known as Cafesjian Art Galleries. The Cafesjian Sculpture Garden is the front gardens of the cascade where many sculptures are exhibited.

The Cafesjian Art Galleries which include the Gallery One, Khanjyan Gallery, Eagle Gallery, Sasuntsi Davit Garden Gallery, Star Landing and the Special Events Auditorium, located underneath the exterior staircase and fountains. The galleries are home to a massive collection of glass artwork exhibited in several galleries and sections. 

5.The majority of the museum’s collection are derived from the private collection 

The majority of the museum’s collection are derived from the private collection of the founder Gerard L. Cafesjian. With more than 5,000 works, the centre exhibits one of the most comprehensive glass collections in the world particularly the works of the Czech couple Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtova.

Their collaborative work revolutionized the use of glass as an artistic medium.The collection also has substantial holdings in drawing, painting and sculpture by many influential artists including Fernando Botero, Arshile Gorky, Jennifer Bartlett, Lynn Chadwick, Barry Flanagan, Jaume Plensa, and François-Xavier Lalanne.

6.The museum organizes regular programmed events throughout the year

The museum organizes regular programmed events throughout the year including; Encounters with Art: is a program launched in October 2010 as a series of events for adults, focusing on arts and artists which takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Cafesjian Classical Music Series which ties place on the first Wednesday of each month at the Special Events Auditorium. 

Others include; Traditional Folk Dances at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts which takes place on the last Friday of each month between May and September and Music Cascade with Live concerts of jazz, pop and rock music which are performed at the Special Events Auditorium every Friday and Saturday, since March 2010.

7.The museum has also been used as a venue for international meetings 

The museum has also been used as a venue for international meetings for instance on August 20, 2010, The Khanjyan gallery of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts hosted the informal meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states.

The meeting was attended by the president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan; the president of the Russian Federation, Dmitriy Medvedev; the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev; the president of Tajikistan, Emomali Rakhmon; the interim leader of Kyrgyzstan, Rosa Otunbayeva, as well as the secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Nikolay Bordyuzha. 

8.The land on which it stands consists the museum itself, an event hall, a shop, and the sculpture garden

The Cafesjian Museum of Art occupies about 11 thousand square meters, which includes the museum itself, an event hall, a shop, and the sculpture garden with exhibits. The Cafesjian Sculpture Garden occupies the front territory of the Cascade where many unique works by contemporary sculptors are exhibited.

On the ground floor, there is an information center, which provides information on permanent and current exhibitions and coming events. Exposition halls occupy the first 4 floors. On the top floor, there is a jazz club.

9.There are several hotels and restaurants near the museum

There are several hotels and restaurants near the museum. Hotels near Cafesjian Center for the Arts include; CASCADE HOUSE FOR RENT which is 0.03 miles away, Cascade house for rent in a very desired area (0.04 mi), Hotel Meg (0.10 mi), Cascade Hotel (0.08 mi) and The Ivory (0.06 mi). 

The restaurants near Cafesjian Center for the Arts include; Kaskad Balkon (0.03 mi), Hacker Pschorr Munchen Grill House Yerevan (0.04 mi), Los Pueblos (0.04 mi), Daboo Bar (0.08 mi) and Coffeeshop Company Cascade (0.09 mi).

10.The museum also has several statues and an amazing view of the city of Yerevan

The museum is one of the most significant places in Yerevan.There are many statues from around world and a pleasure to touch the history of this place.There also couple of huge murals depicting historically recognized caricatures of Armenian warriors, politicians, and intellectuals.

Moreover there is also an amazing view of the city from the museum which makes it one of the must visit places in the city. People love to go there to see the great view of the city of Yerevan and its surroundings which are all visible from the museum’s top floors.