MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
Architects: Jim Torosyan, Sargis Gurzadyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan
Located at the end of Alexander Tamanyan Park, at 10 Tamanyan Street. The official opening took place on November 8, 2009.
It is known among Yerevan residents as the Cascade, as during the Soviet years, the old cascade with a small waterfall and a colorful mosaic of fish was located here (sculptor: Derenik Danielyan, dismantled in the 1980s).
The creation of the Cascade was the idea of famous architect Alexander Tamanyan, whose aim was to connect the central and northern parts of Yerevan with waterfalls and green areas. The Cascade was included in the first master plan of Soviet Yerevan (1924). Tamanyan's project was brought to life in the 1970s by Yerevan's chief architect Jim Torosyan, with new perceptions and ideas. Construction lasted several years and remained unfinished due to the earthquake of December 7, 1988.
In 2002, Armenian-American businessman and philanthropist Gerard Cafesjian, in cooperation with the Government of Armenia, initiated the construction of the Cascade. Over the next seven years, the complex was renovated and transformed. With the aim of creating a museum of contemporary art and cultural center, the Cafesjian Museum Foundation in the USA opened the Cafesjian Museum Foundation in Yerevan in 2009, and the newly built Cascade complex was transformed into the Gerard L. Cafesjian Center for the Arts, where the rich collection of art works donated to Armenia by the Cafesjian family is presented (more than 5,000 items).
The complex is architecturally designed with spacious platforms on a
sloping relief (15° inclination), where exhibition halls are organized. The
right and left stairs create a connection between all platforms. “Gallery - 1”,
“Khanjyan”, “Sasuntsi Davit”, “Swarovski”, “Eagle” and other halls have been
created, which have travertine wall cladding, granite floors, and interior
lighting. The “Khanjyan” hall features monumental triptych murals by the
renowned artist Grigor Khanjyan: “The Creation of the Armenian Alphabet”, “The
Battle of Vardanank”, and “The Rebirth of Armenia”. The “Sasuntsi Davit” hall
contains a wall relief of Sasuntsi Davit, the hero of the Armenian epic
“Daredevils of Sassoun” (1980s, sculptor: Artashes Hovsepyan, unveiled on May
21, 2016).
From the Special Events Hall on the top platform of the Cascade, there is a view of Yerevan and Mount Ararat. The monument “Armenia is the First Christian State” (2011) is located in this section.
The complex also includes the monument dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution (architects: Sargis Gurzadyan, Jim Torosyan, 1967), which is dominant in the complex. The adjacent area contains the unfinished part of the cascade.
The Cafesjian Sculpture Garden is the area of the park in front of the
cascade, with spacious alleys, flower beds, and sculptures by Fernando Botero,
Lynn Chadwick, Jaume Plensa, Barry Flanagan, and others.
The number of steps in the Cascade is 572. The distance from the base to
the upper platform is 450 m.
The width is 50 m, the height of the unfinished part is 78 m.
The Center aims to showcase the leading trends of contemporary art in
Armenia, as well as to present Armenian culture to the world.
During the days of the Artsakh movement, mass rallies were held at the Cascade, and since the 2000s, open-air classes of Armenian folk and ethnographic dances have been held here.
“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO
Yerevan Municipality
WORKING HOURS
Cafesjian Sculpture Garden is always open.
Escalator Gallery is open every day from 8:00 to 20:00
Exhibition Galleries, Museum Store, and Visitor Center is open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00
The Center is closed on state holidays.
