Assadour BEZDIKIAN (born in 1943)

Assadour BEZDIKIAN (born in 1943) Trash Can for Memories, 1972 Etching on paper Signed “Assadour” and dated in the lower right corner, numbered 67/80 in the lower left corner 20 x 14 cm Framed DESCRIPTION A Lebanese painter and printmaker, he studied at the Pietro Vannucci Academy in Perugia, where he discovered printmaking while immersing himself in Renaissance art. Upon returning to Beirut, he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in Lucien Coutaud’s studio. It was under Coutaud’s guidance that he learned etching and began experimenting with various techniques. He also delved more deeply into watercolor, drawing, and painting. Constructivism, abstraction, and Expressionism fueled his imagination and guided his artistic exploration. From his very first solo exhibition at the Galerie La Pochade on Boulevard Saint-Germain in March 1971, his work drew attention for his watercolors and etchings, whose meticulous detail and dreamlike quality inspired the words of Philippe Soupault. He regularly collaborates with poets and writers to illustrate his limited-edition book prints. His works are included in the collections of the Department of Drawings and Prints at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Fonds national d’art contemporain in Paris, the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, the Samsung Collection in Seoul, and the British Museum in London.