Yervand Kochar

Yervand "Kochar" Kocharyan, also known as Ervand Kochar (. 1899 – 1979) was a prominent sculptor and modern artist of the twentieth century and a founder of Painting in Space art movement. The Ervand Kochar Museum is located in Yerevan, Armenia and showcases much of his work.

Biography Kochar was born in Tiflis, Russian Empire on June 15, 1899, to Simon Kocharian of Shushi and Pheocia Martirosian. He graduated in 1918 from the Nersisian School and, between 1915 and 1918, also studied at the Arts School of the Caucasus Association for Promotion of Fine Arts in Tiflis. From 1918 to 1919, he studied at the State Free Art Studio of Moscow.

In 1919, Kochar returned to Tiflis, where he was granted a certificate of professor of Fine Arts and Technical Studies by the People's Commissariat of Soviet Georgia. He was eventually freed due to the intervention of his friends from the Nersisian School, Anastas Mikoyan and Karo Halabyan.

Kochar continued working in Yerevan, becoming especially prominent during the Khrushchev Thaw. He was awarded recognition as People's Artist of Armenian SSR in 1965, State Prize of the Armenian SSR in 1967, Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1971, and People's Artist of the Soviet Union in 1976.

Personal life He was married to philologist Manik Mkrtchyan (1913–1984), with whom he had two sons, Haykaz Kochar (1946) and Ruben Kochar (1953).

Filmography Tghamardik (1973) (as Yervand Kochar)