Boghos Taslakian – “Aghassi”, (born August 13, 1964, Anjar, Lebanon), is an Armenian painter and sculptor, best known for his romantic oil paintings and renaissance style marble and bronze sculptures of solitary figures.
Aghassi was born in Anjar, a small Armenian village in Lebanon. He showed precocious talent at a very young age and was encouraged to pursue a formal education in the fine arts. In 1981, Aghassi began his formal training at the Panos Terlemezian Art Academy in Yerevan, Armenia. Political unrest forced Aghassi to flee Armenia in 1983, cutting his fine arts education at the university short. Aghassi moved to Italy in 1986, where he continued his studies at the Academia di Belle Arti di Venezia. Aghassi spent the next ten years in Italy perfecting his painting and sculpting skills. His works now distinctly display a romantic fashion, deeply inspired by and humbly compared to the Renaissance masters.
Since 1992, Aghassi has participated in exhibitions around the world, spanning Armenia and Lebanon, to Geneva, New York and San Diego.
Testimonials
-The Daily Star- July 28, 2001“The most outstanding pieces were paintings by Armenian artist Aghassi (Boghos Taslakian). His work certainly catches one’s attention.”
New York- de Sylviane ZEHILL’exposition “international Artexpo” qui se tient chaque année a new York depuis 25 ans, a rassemble au Javits Convention Center, du 27 février au 3 mars, plus de cinq cents galeries et éditeurs d’art venus d’Europe, d’Asie, d’Australie, des Etats Unis et du Liban. Attirant plus de 40000 visiteurs, pour la plupart des connaisseurs, galeries, art dealers, collectionneurs prives et professionnels, cette exposition a groupe cette année une grande variété de peintures, dessins, photographies, illustrations, lithographies, céramiques, poteries, sculptures en bronze ou en verre, et arts décoratifs divers.
Aghassi has had exhibitions in locales across the globe, including Italy, Lebanon, Spain, Geneva, Belgium, New York and San Diego, among others.
“Art is making a statement, preserving an emotion and conveying a state of mind. It is every single moment of my life. My paintings and sculptures are concentrated displays of experiences and emotions. Art is what is beautiful and real. My art is my statement.”
Art Business News, Emerging Artists- Apr 27, 2009![]()
“Les peintures et les sculptures d’Aghassi expriment une véritable exubérance inconsciente dominée par beaucoup de talent et une splendide combinaison de la lumière et de la couleur.”
-L’HEBDO MAGAZINE- 5 juillet, 2002![]()
Aghassi is an accomplished artist who uses classical technique, filtered through a modern sensibility, to produce 21st century masterpieces of emotion and strength. Romanticism and symbolism inhabit his world, but never is there a hint of cliché. His themes are timeless, deeply human and sometimes painfully humorous with self-reflection, while the characters he employs for his story-telling are unique. His palette is moody, his stroke dynamic, and the overall effect - captivatingly original. Aghassi presents classical heroic genre paintings in rich earth tones. His quixotic subjects range from cherubs on horseback to revolutionary drummers, musicians and society chess players.
Tamara Cannon, owner of Gallery Piquel, New Hope, PA![]()
Par Sonia NigolianOn avait remarque les compositions d’aghassi lors de diverses manifestations artistique collectives. On le retrouve, Aujourd’hui, occupant tout l’Espace de la galerie Noha’s Ark.
Aghassi a étudié, dans un premier temps, la peinture a L’Académie des Beaux Arts en Arménie, avant de poursuivre sa formation a l’Académie des Beaux Arts de Venise.
Peignant dans le respect des principes immuables de la peinture à l’huile, ses oeuvres sont fortes et secrètes, comme autant de scènes auxquelles il octroie une étrange matérialité.
Au-delà de l’évidente maîtrise technique dont il fait preuve, s’impose la présence d’une sensibilité neuve, empreinte d’une rigueur toute classique.
Ici, le charme s’exerce par le dessin mais, aussi, par le biais de la lumière, fragile et intemporelle, obtenue par l’usage de glacis très subtils.
