Paul Guiragossian

Paul Guiragossian (1926 – November 20, 1993) was an Armenian Lebanese painter from Jerusalem.

Biography
Born in Jerusalem, Palestine to Armenian parents, who were survivors of the Armenian genocide, Paul Guiragossian experienced the consequences of exile from a very tender age. Sent to Catholic missionary boarding schools from the age of three, Guiragossian grew up away from his mother who had to work to make sure her two sons received an education and his father who was blind fiddle-player.

In the early 1940s, Guiragossian and his family moved to Jaffa in Palestine, where he attended Studio Yarkon (1944 - 1945) to study painting. In 1947, the family moved again and settled in Lebanon.

In the 1950s, Guiragossian started teaching art in several Armenian schools and worked as an illustrator. Later he started his own business with his brother Antoine, where they painted cinema banners, created posters, and illustrated books. In time, he became connected with the contemporary art scene in Lebanon, and he began exhibiting his works in Beirut and eventually all over the world.

In 1956, Guiragossian won the first prize in a painting competition, and he was duly awarded a scholarship to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (The Academy of Fine Arts of Florence). While in Florence, he had multiple exhibitions starting with a solo show in 1958 at the Galeria D'Arte Moderna "La Permanente".

In 1961, Guiragossian returned to Beirut. In 1962, Guiragossian was granted another scholarship, this time by the French Government, to study and paint at Les Atelier Des Maîtres De L'Ecole De Paris and by the end of that year he had a solo exhibition at the Galerie Mouffe.

By the mid 1960s, Guiragossian had grown to become one of the most celebrated artists in Lebanon and eventually of the Arab world. When war broke out in the early 1970s, Guiragossian's dedication to Lebanon only increased and his works correspondingly became more colorful, and were imbued with messages of hope.

In 1989, moved to Paris with part of his family, remaining there until 1991. In 1989, Guiragossian exhibited his works in La Salle Des Pas Perdus in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. In the same year, he had a solo exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe, (IMA), which, as the first ever solo show at the IMA for any artist, was extended beyond its original slot.

Guiragossian died on November 20, 1993, in Beirut. That morning, after completing an oil painting, he revealed to his daughter that he finally achieved what he always wanted, merging the old and the new in one painting. The family agreed to title the painting "L'Adieu" and it remains - unsigned - in the Guiragossian family collection. Other works can be found in the National Gallery of Armenia.

Family
In 1952, Paul married Juliette Hindian, a young painter and a former student of his. Together they had six children. Their son Ara died soon after birth and Paul painted several paintings as a tribute to him. All of Guiragossian's children studied art in various forms, but Emmanuel Guiragossian, Jean-Paul Guiragossian, and Manuella Guiragossian became painters, making a name of their own in the art world. In 2011, the family established The Paul Guiragossian Foundation to preserve and promote his legacy.