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On August 6 the events dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian outstanding painter Haroutiun Kalents began in the National Gallery of Armenia, which attended the Speaker of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, the Chief of the Staff of the National Assembly Gegham Gharibjanyan, the Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan. First, the presentation of the book introducing Kalents’ canvases and biography was held.

In the words of the Director of the National Gallery Paravon Mirzoyan, this wonderful master gave new breath to the Armenian painting of the 1950-60s. The painter’s son, the Chairman of Kalents Cultural Foundation, Saro Kalents, noticed that they had waited for this book for 70 years, and finally is was published by the assistance of the Ministry of Culture.

The Speaker of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan walked around in the exhibition hall and got familiarized with the presented works. In his talk with the journalists Hovik Abrahamyan noted that Kalents was really a great painter, and the fact of many people being in that exhibition, expressed the attitude of the people and the society towards him. In response to the journalist’s question, expressing his impressions the NA Speaker noted: “There is no specialist, painter, an Armenian that won’t respect, like Harutiun Kalents’ paintings because he is a great person for us, for our people.” Hovik Abrahamyan said that they would do their best for helping Kalents’ family to fully present the painter’s art to the society.

This year Harutiun Kalents’ exhibition is also envisaged to organize in Beirut with the works representing the painter’s Lebanese period (he lived and worked there for 19 years before emigrating to Armenia).