Art Within Art: The Cafesjian Center for the Arts

Who said that paintings should be solely displayed on walls? The Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan is not your typical art gallery. Shall we have a tour?

If you are in Yerevan, whether you’re a local or a tourist, you certainly have visited the Opera and relaxed by the Swan Lake. At approximately 800 meters from the Opera, there is the famous Cascade Complex. Apart from being a hub for restaurants, pubs, and cafes during the summer, this complex is a true artistic monument.

At first, you’ll see a large paved area, pleasant for walking or sitting on the benches. What you’ll notice that it is also an outdoor gallery with marvelous sculptures by world-renowned artists on display: This area is called the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden. The sculptures include works by Fernando Botero, Lynn Chadwick, Jaume Plensa, and Barry Flanagan.


Image credit: Pheonix Tour Armenia

At the end of the garden, you’ll notice a huge staircase that will challenge you to climb its 572 steps. This is the Cascade Complex, which consists of a staircase and an indoor escalator. On each level, there’s an indoor and an outdoor gallery. The indoor galleries regularly hold exhibitions, while the ones outside display sculptures. If you’re not up for the challenge to climb all the stairs, you can take the escalators, which also feature artworks.

On your way out, take a few moments to tour around the souvenir shop on the first floor. Like everything else in this center, the shop is more than just a shop: along with some of the most exquisite pieces of jewelry, pottery, and other high-end gifts made in Armenia, the shop offers you another display of artifacts, mostly of glass art and décor. Not to mention, the area also serves as one of the best libraries dedicated to art in the city.

Whatever you choose to do in the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, you will end up staring at a piece of art that touches your soul. But if you really want to see an amazing painting, just climb all the stairs and look at Yerevan, a beautiful artwork that no one could ever reproduce.