An article by J. A. (586 words, 3 min read)
At the Cheriff Tabet Gallery, throughout the month of September, a retrospective took place celebrating 60 years of Krikor Agopian’s career. From 1964 to 2024, the artist reveals his journey, rich in colors and emotions, to the public.
The Journey
AGOPIAN, born in Lebanon in 1942, saw his artistic career flourish after studying art at Sir John Williams University in Montreal. From a very young age, and well before completing his studies, Agopian had a burning passion for art. At 22, he was already drawing and painting with fervor. Between Canada and Lebanon, Agopian’s art evolved as he explored drawing, graphic design, and later, still life. In recent years, he has reached the height of his artistic expression through semi-figurative and surrealist art.
In 2019, Agopian published two 180-page art volumes, highlighting his works from 1964 to 2017. Over 60 years of artistic creation are thus unveiled through these pages.
This retrospective features a selection of his most emblematic works. Agopian has exhibited many times in Canada, the United States, Lebanon, and Europe, and has received 10 international awards.
The Cheriff tabet Gallery Exhibits Agopian
The Cheriff Tabet Gallery celebrates these six decades of work by an artist whose art is rich and varied.
From his pencil drawings on cardboard depicting sailboats in Boston in 1964, to his Chinese ink drawings where nude silhouettes prance on his cardboard works in 1971, we witness the birth of his “Broken Circles” in 1975, which lead to “Deliverance” in 1987.
The artist’s journey progresses as surrealism gradually takes shape. The late 80s show the influence of great masters like Magritte or Dali in his work.
Indeed, we find an apple hovering over a painting stripped of its canvas. The brush floats to the right, like a crime instrument. Moreover, “The Persistence Of Memory” is felt in a mixed media piece, where a clock face slips between the colors.
The idea of theater within theater, or painting within painting, is evoked multiple times in works depicting the “Artist’s Table,” which one enjoys scrutinizing down to its smallest details.
During the 90s, Agopian embraced this technique of revealing his art as an invitation to step into his studio, where one discovers his table, painting supplies, a coffee cup, and worn brushes. A privilege he offers to the observer, who thus delves into the intimacy of his creativity.
The early 2000s mark a continuation of his surrealist and figurative techniques. Pomegranates, apples, cherries, avocados, or melons are halved, symbolizing life and the reality of lived experience. Through these warm colors, goldfish swim in the background, making the scene even more emotional.
Agopian’s intricate works are a pleasure to the eye and a thought provocative journey to the mind.   Collector
The roots of life and family attachments are metaphorically evoked through still life or natural landscapes highlighting tree trunks, characteristic of his 2010s work.
Finally, to conclude this retrospective, in the 2020s, Agopian stages joyful and colorful artists who he makes dance or gallop, giving them musical instruments to better play with the fate of life.
When asked what horizon he envisions for his career, Agopian responds that there is no destination for an artist. He continues his journey with pleasure and has no intention of stopping anytime soon.
The Cheriff Tabet gallery was filled with his works until early October 2024. The visit was definitely enjoyable, though one would have appreciated viewing this art in a more spacious setting and curation.
