New York Times Skunder Boghossian, 65, Artist

Who Bridged Africa and West Holland Cotter | May 18, 2003

Skunder Boghossian, an Ethiopian-born artist who played an important role in introducing European

modernist styles into Africa and who, as a longtime resident of the United States, became one of the best-known African modern artists in the West...

ABOUT THE ARTISTAlexander "Skunder" Boghossian was

born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1937

In 1954 when he was seventeen years old, Boghossian won second prize at the Jubilee Anniversary Celebration of

Emperor Haile Selassie I. The next year he was awarded an Ethiopian government scholarship to study in Europe. He spent two years in London where he attended St. Martins

School, Central School and the Slade School of Fine Art. He extended his sojourn in Europe another nine years as a

student and teacher at the Academie de la Grande Chaumi-ere in Paris, and as a student and teacher in the atelier of

Alberto Giacometti. In 1966 Boghossian returned to Ethiopia where he taught at the Fine Arts School in Addis Ababa until 1969. He made his �rst trip to the United States in 1970 and, except for a trip home when his father died in 1972, he spent the remainder of his life in the United States. Throughout his

career Boghossian has had a successful dual profession as artist and art instructor. In addition to teaching in France

and Ethiopia, Boghossian taught in the USA at Atlanta University, Hampton University, and Howard University,

where he worked in the School of Fine Arts from 1972-2001.

As a practicing artist, Boghossian's paintings have been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Ethiopia,

the Caribbean, Europe, North and South America. He is also distinguished by being the �rst contemporary African artist

to have work purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and he was the �rst African commissioned by the World Federation of the United Nations Association

to design a First Day Cover for a United Nations stamp. His pen and ink drawing for the cover and the accompanying stamp were on the theme of "Combat Racism." The date

of issue was September 19, 1977.

In 2001, Boghossian worked with Kebedech Tekleab on a commission called Nexus for the Wall of Representation at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington, DC. The work is an aluminum relief sculpture (365 x 1585 cm) mounted on the

granite wall of the embassy. Nexus includes decorative motifs, patterns and symbols from Ethiopian religious

traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other indigenous spiritual practices incorporating symbolic scrolls

and forms representing musical instruments, utilitarian tools, and regional �ora and fauna.

Skunder’s last interview would be done on April 30, 2003 before the opening of the group exhibit, Ethiopian

Passages: Dialogues in the Diaspora, at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. Skunder died on

May 4, 2003 at Howard University Hospital.

The Fine Arts School in Ethiopia, now named the Skunder Boghossian College of Performing and Visual Arts

of the Addis Ababa University, is comprised of the School of Music, the School of Theater Arts and the School

of Fine Arts and Design.

Photo by Jarvis Grant

Corcoran Gallery of Art 500 17th Street, NWWashington, DC 20006

September 22, 2013Symposium: 12-7pm | Reception: 7-10pm

This event is open to the public with ticket sales beginning on August 22. College students, graduates, emerging artists and entrepreneurs are invited to participate in this exciting symposium and reception. We welcome registration for 100 free tickets for students. Attendees will have the opportu-nity to listen to speakers from the United States and abroad and ask questions following each panel, view video clips of Skunder’s works, listen to jazz composi-tions that inspired him, and have informal conversa-tions with the guest scholars and artists during the reception.

Visit skundertribute.eventbrite.com forticket sales.

SKUNDER TRIBUTECelebration of Art & Culture

$35 & $25.

SYMPOSIUM (3 panels)1) Life & Art of Skunder Boghossian2) Museum professionals speak of Skunder’s work and the Business of Art3) Former students of Skunder speak of the creative process and showcase their works. This segment will be highlighted by Kebedech Tekleab who worked with Skunder on the art commission for the Ethiopian Embassy)

RECEPTION1) Video clip of Skunder’s works and comments by colleagues2) Presentation of Sponsors and Boghossian family3) Tribute by Quincy Troupe Author of Miles and Me (2000) and co-author of Miles: the Autobiography (1989)4) Featuring Live Jazz by the Gene D’Andrea trio

MARKETING SCHEDULE 1) Outreach to colleges and universities in the Washington, DC metro area (Free tickets for 100 college students)2) EventBrite launch – August 22 for one-month promotion3) Social Media network4) Posters and postcards distributed in the metro area.5) Outreach to Cultural Institutions (Smithsonian Institutions, French Embassy, Cultural Tourism, etc.)6) Media contact: NPR, Washington Post, Washington Informer, WPFW, WHUR, NBC, Arts Magazine) Includes on-air interviews and website announcements7) 1 week – promotional give-aways on radio stations.8) On-Site (Event)9) Taping by Gediyon Ki�e of Symposium & Reception

FOLLOW-UP (October 2013 to May 2014)1) Summary Report of Event with Data Analysis of employment for college students in metro area2) Identify metro businesses for collaboration and implementation of the “Business of Art” initiative3) Implementation of Partnership (Colleges and Businesses) Summer 2014 internships

JuJu Wedding (1964) by Skunder was purchased by Blanchette Ferry Rockefeller in 1966 and later donated to the Museum of Modern Art (New York). MOMA (Paris) and the Smithsonian also purchased Skunder paintings.

EVENT SPEAKERSDr. Aida BoghossianDr. Floyd ColemanAchamyeleh DebelaSolomon DeressaWendy Wilson FallJarvis GrantMartha Jackson-JarvisDr. Leslie King-HammondGediyon Ki�eSo�a Ki�eClayton LangRon LeGrandJames PhillipsA.B. SpellmanDanyo SyoumKebedech TekleabTesafaye TessemaQuincy Troupe

For more information, contact202.500.6074 or skundertribute@gmail.comTICKETS: skundertribute.eventbrite.com

SKUNDER