Hovhannes Semerdjian was born in Selez near Brusa in the family of silk spinner. His family migrated to Greece from fear of the executions in 1922. In 1931 after his husband’s death his mother left for France to cure his son’s broken leg and settled in Paris in the suburb, called Issy-les-Moulineaux.

The first professional schools for him became free academies of Montparnasse (1934-1936). He graduated from the ornament making high school in Paris in 1938. His teachers were Brianshon, Legjon, and Udon. Afterwards he was improved in the Sabatie studio for a year.

His picture “The violinist” began to be displayed in the saloon of “Independent artists”. In the first period of his creative life he painted pictures that touched merely upon national themes such as “Armenian woman”, “Armenian wedding”, “Funeral” and the like. A part of those works is exhibited in the Armenian art museum of Paris.

Jansem’s creative theme originates from his childhood memories, the great misfortune of his nation.

The French science of light characterized Jansem as a miserablist, an artist of unfortunate people.

He was elected the president of the young artists’ saloon in 1956. He won the Comparison prize in Mexico in 1958. Jansem had individual exhibitions in Paris, New York, Chicago, London, Tokyo, Rome, Brussels, Lausanne, Beirut and elsewhere. His works were also exhibited in Moscow with French art exhibition. Many canvases by Jansem were placed in the museums of Europe, USA and in individual collections.

For the first time Jansem visited Armenia in 1973.

In 2001 Jansem again visited Armenia by the invitation of Kocharian the president of the Republic of Armenia. He donated his 34 canvases entitled “Genocide” to the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute.

Haykazn Mihrdat was born in 1864 in Constantinople (Ottoman Empire), social-political figure, national deputy, president of the “Aharonyan akumb” (Aharonyan club) in Peshiqtash. He was a victim of the Armenian genocide.

November 10, 2011On November 9, 2011, the granddaughter of Fridtjof Nansen Marit Greve, with the Norwegian delegation, visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex ...

November 10, 2011On November 7, 2011, Asya Darbinyan, a graduate research fellow at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, recently spent four days at the Armenian Research Center conducting research for her dissertation on Near East Relief orphanages ...

November 9, 2011On November 6, 2011, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Head of the Russian Imperial House visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, put flowers at the eternal fire and honored the memory of the innocent victims with a minute of silence ...

October 25, 2011On October 25, 2011, the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John A. Heffern accompanied by his spouse Mrs. Libby Dowling Heffern, visited ...

October 13, 2011 On October 13, 2011, Secretary General of Interpol Ronald Noble visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims ...

August 31, 2011 On August 30, 2011, the regular meeting of the MFA senior staff and the heads of the diplomatic missions started in the Conference Hall of the K. Demirjian Sports and Concert Complex ...

August 27, 2011 Dr. Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, has become a new member of the Genocide Education Project’s (GenEd) advisory board ...

July 11, 2011 Fanny Ardant, the world known French actress, who visited Yerevan in the framework of the 8th edition of “Golden Apricot” Yerevan International Film Festival, visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial ...

June 30, 2011 Director of AGMI H.Demoyan and Deputy Director of AGMI S.Manukyan had a meeting with ambassador of RA in Russia Oleg Yesayan in Moscow. During the meeting the projects and cooperation ...

June 17, 2011 Minister of French Cooperation Henri de Raincourt visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, within the framework of his official visit to Armenia on June 16-17, and put a wreath at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims ...

June 17, 2011 The delegation headed by President of Brest Regional Executive Committee in Belarus Konstantin Sumar visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. Mr. Konstantin Sumar put a wreath at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims ...

June 10, 2011 Thomas O. Melia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of USA, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, put flowers at the eternal fire ...

June 09, 2011 Dr. Ara Sanjian, the Associate Professor in Armenian and Middle Eastern History from University of Michigan - Dearborn had a meeting in the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute with the staff of AGMI ...

June 01, 2011 The deputy-director of AGMI Suren Manukyan participated on conference dedicated to 150th anniversary of Fridtjof Nansens held in a city of Kharkiv, Ukraine ...