Edmund Yaghjian (1903–1997) was an Armenian-born American visual artist, and educator. He is known for his

life drawing A figure drawing is a drawing of the human form in any of its various shapes and Human positions, postures, using any of the drawing Drawing#Media, media. The term can also refer to the act of producing such a drawing. The degree of representatio ...

, and paintings of city scenes and landscapes. Yaghjian taught at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

and at the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

Early life and education

Edmund Yaghjian was born in February 16, 1903, in

Harpoot Harpoot () or Kharberd () is an ancient town located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. It now forms a small district of the city of Elazığ. p. 1. In the late Ottoman period, it fell under the Mamuret-ul-Aziz Vilayet (also known as the Harpu ...

, Armenia (now

Elazığ Elazığ () is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, and the administrative centre of Elazığ Province and Elazığ District. Founded in and around the former city of Harput, it is located in the uppermost Euphrates valley. The plai ...

, Turkey) to parents Sultan (née Ajootian) and Samuel Yaghjian. By 1907, his family moved to the United States during the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

and settled in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

where they had a small grocery store. He became interested in making art in childhood. Yaghjian

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

as a U.S. citizen in 1924. He received a

BFA degree A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard Undergraduate education, undergraduate Academic degree, degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Ba ...

in 1930, from

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

in Providence; and afterwards he took courses at the Art Students League of New York in New York City, and studied under

John Sloan John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight (Ashcan School), T ...

and Stuart Davis. He married Dorothy Candy, and they had four children.

Career

From 1938 to 1942, Yaghjian taught drawing at the Art Students League of New York. In 1945, Yaghjian became the first chair of the art department at the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, South Carolina, and he remained in the role until 1966. From 1966 until 1972, he was an

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

at USC. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, Yaghjian was one of three professors at USC that signed a petition calling for international

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

and neutrality. Among his students were painter

Jasper Johns Jasper Johns (born May 15, 1930) is an American painter, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker. Considered a central figure in the development of American postwar art, he has been variously associated with abstract expressionism, Neo-Dada, and ...

, and muralist Blue Sky. Yaghjian's artwork was in three phases, starting with realism, which moved to stylized abstraction, and finally to abstract work. In 2007, a retrospect of his artwork was held at the

South Carolina State Museum The South Carolina State Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of South Carolina. It has four floors of permanent and changing exhibits, a digital dome planetarium, 4D interactive theater, and an observatory (all opened in 2014). The State ...

. He died at age 94 on December 2, 1997, in Columbia, South Carolina."S.C. art innovator Yaghjian dies at 94". ''

The State A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...

''. December 3, 1997. p.&nbs
6
12. Retrieved March 11, 2025 – via

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. His art is in museum collections, including at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

in New York City, and the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...

in Washington, D.C..

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yaghjian, Edmund 1903 births 1997 deaths Armenian emigrants to the United States Art Students League of New York alumni Art Students League of New York faculty Artists from New York City Artists from Providence, Rhode Island People from Columbia, South Carolina Rhode Island School of Design alumni University of South Carolina faculty