MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

Cafesjian Center for the Arts

The Cafesjian Center for the Arts is dedicated to bringing the best of contemporary art to Armenia.

Architects: Jim Torosyan, Sargis Gurzadyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan

Centre 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.

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.

VISITOR INFORMATION

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 November 8, 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).

The Center aims to showcase the leading trends of contemporary art in Armenia, as well as to present Armenian culture to the world.

HOURS AND ADMISSION