Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Monument to Alexander Tamanyan

Monument to Alexander Tamanyan is set on the axis of the opera theatre designed by Tamanyan, at the start of the boulevard named after him. The five-metre basalt figure is rendered in monumental forms and stands on a granite pedestal. The architect is shown leaning on a long rectangular stone block resting on two smaller blocks, a symbolic composition explained as linking old and new architecture and helping create the city’s modern architecture. The pedestal bears the architect’s name and an Armenian national ornament. In its right corner is a plan of Yerevan, together with a line by Yeghishe Charents: “He must have seen a sunny city.” The pedestal rests on a basalt platform with wide steps.

Monument to Alexander Tamanyan in a paved plaza, with a large stone staircase rising behind it.
The Monument to Alexander Tamanyan stands in a plaza with the Yerevan Cascade rising in the background.
July 2017 © · CC0
Monument to Alexander Tamanyan on a paved plaza with trees, buildings, and a stone fountain nearby.
The Monument to Alexander Tamanyan stands in an open urban plaza framed by trees and nearby buildings.
September 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Monument to Alexander Tamanyan in front of the cascading stairway in Yerevan.
The Monument to Alexander Tamanyan stands before the Cascades in central Yerevan.
September 2008 © · CC BY 2.0
Monument to Alexander Tamanyan in a lit plaza at night, with a grand illuminated building complex and distant spire behind it.
Monument to Alexander Tamanyan in a nighttime plaza, with the illuminated architectural complex of the Cascade behind it.
October 2013 © Sebastian Wallroth · CC BY 3.0
Monument to Alexander Tamanyan at night with the illuminated Cascade complex in the background.
The Monument to Alexander Tamanyan stands in Yerevan at night, with the Cascade complex rising behind it.
June 2014 © · CC BY 4.0

Identification

TitleMonument to Alexander Tamanyan
Depicted personAlexander Tamanyan
Subject occupationArchitect

Location and ownership

LocationOn the axis of the opera theatre designed by Tamanyan, at the beginning of the boulevard street named after him, in Yerevan

Physical characteristics

Height5 meters
CompositionA long rectangular stone block stands on two small blocks, with two pillars supporting the platform on which Tamanyan rests
PoseTamanyan is shown leaning on a long rectangular stone block
BaseThe pedestal rests on a basalt platform with wide steps
StyleMonumental forms

Materials

Base/plinth materialBasalt
Pedestal materialGranite
Figure materialBasalt
MaterialsBasalt and granite

Appearance

Urban settingIt fits organically into the surrounding development/buildings

Iconography and meaning

SymbolismThe left stone represents old architecture and the right stone represents new architecture; the architect bridges these periods and creates the newest architecture for the capital
Symbolism of pillarsThey represent the past and the future
InterpretationTamanyan's work symbolizes a bridge between the past and the future

History and restoration

Pedestal inscriptionTamanyan's name is carved on the granite pedestal
Pedestal decorationA national Armenian ornament is carved on the pedestal
Pedestal decorationA plan of Yerevan is drawn in the right corner of the pedestal
Pedestal inscriptionA verse by Yeghishe Charents is engraved on the pedestal: 'He saw, perhaps, the sunny city'