Hagop Ishkanian

Hagop Ishkanian was born on 27 July 1938 in Cairo, Egypt. In 1948 he emigrated with his family to Soviet Armenia. In 1964 he graduated from the Yerevan State Institute of Creative Art and Theatre (now known as the Yerevan State Academy of Art). That same year he participated in exhibitions organised by the state and the Armenian Union of Artists. In 1968 he joined the Armenian Union of Painters. Until 1977 he was a senior lecturer at the Yerevan Pedagogical Institute. In 1977 he emigrated to the United States where he continues to live and work. Hagop Ishkanian's works are housed in the National Gallery of Armenia and private collections around the world. In the United States, Ishkanian worked as an exterior and interior designer creating bespoke art and fixtures for a range of clients. He also briefly taught jewellery making at Torrance Joslyn Art Center (from 1990 to 1994). In addition to his sculpting, Ishkanian is also an avid philatelist. Since the 1960s he has combined his interest in collecting rare stamps and first-day covers with his art. He has created hundreds of uniquely designed covers which have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in the US, including the annual stamp shows of the Armenian Philatelic Association. Since 2000, Ishkanian has also produced unique silver and gold commemorative coins (Paul Z. Bedoukian, Yeghia T. Nercessian, Christopher Zakyan).

1988 – Art Center College, Pasadena, US 1994 – Biscotti Books, Pasadena, US

1967 – (Bulgaria) 1969 – (Poland) 1971 – (Czechoslovakia) 1979 – Skyline Center, (Topanga, US) 1985 – Armenian Center, (Detroit, US) 1987 – Richard/Bennett Gallery, (Los Angeles, US) 1987 – Avian Gallery, (New York City) 1988 – Downtown Show, (Los Angeles, US) 1989 – Joslyn Art Center, (Torrance, US) 1993 – Joslyn Art Center, (Torrance, US) 1997 – "California Dreamin", Art Festival, Long Beach, US 1998 – Downey Museum of Art, (Downey, US) 2011 – The Power of Art, by Royal Gallery, Burbank, US 2014 – History and Landscape, Ararat-Eskijian Museum, Mission Hills, US