Written by Liam Sibai

Missak Terzian is a Lebanese-American artist, of Armenian descent. He was born in Mar Mikhael, Beirut, in 1949 ¹ . When Terzian was ten years old, a friend of his parents named Claude gifted him his first painting kit. This was the moment of inspiration for Terzian, as the artist later expressed ², 

“The miracle had taken place" 

– he had fallen in love with painting. 

In 1967, Terzian went on to participate in his first group exhibition ³ at the ripe age of 18. He was simultaneously attending the Guvder Art School in Beirut, from which he graduated the following year. Terzian then pursued a second degree, in 1971, from the London College of Printing. Completing his education, Terzian returned to Beirut to join the family business. He began working at his father’s printing press as a color corrector. The artist was able to utilize the knowledge he had acquired from his time in the UK, and implemented it in his professional trade. As his career progressed, so did his personal life. In 1977, Terzian married Mariette Nadjarian, and soon they welcomed their first son Leon, and then their second Leah. 

Nonetheless, his dedication to his family and his day job could not obstruct him from his pursuit of art. From the late 1960s till the mid-1980s, Terzian would partake in a yearly group exhibition, while continuing to work in the family business to provide for his wife and children ⁴ . For these exhibitions, he would mostly produce paintings of scenes that revolved around love, nudity, sexuality, and motherhood.

Terzian rendered them in the manner of Semi-Abstract Figurative Expressionism ⁵ which is a style he later became known for. In Semi-Abstraction, a painting is formed where the subjects are still recognizable, and yet are rendered in an abstract or non-mimetic manner ⁶ . Terzian also used Expressionism as a manner of creating art in which the subjects of the painting were distorted to expresses an emotional, mental, or general internal state ⁷ . Integrating Figuration into his work was his way of expressing his concern with the body, particularly the human body ⁸ . Terzian’s inclination towards the body was particularly influenced by another Armenian-Lebanese painter, Paul Guiragossian. Guiragossian’s art was concerned with the human anatomy ⁹. As such, Terzian’s initial style of painting is, therefore, a combination of these three schools. A great example of this combination is in La Mere et L’Enfant (1982) where we see interlocking circular shapes that look like a mother and her child that are Terzian’s Semi-Abstraction. The subjects’ bodies are twisted in a way that show the mother’s protectiveness over her child, revealing his figurative and Expressionist styles. 

As Terzian’s style and technique matured, by 1984 he had gained enough traction to start holding solo exhibitions ¹⁰ . The artist’s manner of painting had not changed a great deal upon arriving at this milestone. His painterly subject matter did, however, expand. He began representing objects and scenes he saw in his daily domestic life ¹¹. Terzian painted his pet cats, dogs, and birds ¹², for example. To this day the artist keeps three birds as pets; a parrot named Picasso, and two love birds named Manet and Monet ¹³.

In 1989, Terzian decided to move to Los Angeles, California with his family. He did not want his kids growing up in Lebanon’s war-torn environment. Nonetheless, he continued to frequent his home country after his immigration. During his time in Los Angeles, the playing of music ¹⁴ became a recurrent theme ¹⁵ in his oeuvre. This is seen in The Guitar, 1994. Music would remain a paramount theme for Terzian for decades to come ¹⁶. The artist felt he could relate the presence of music in his art to the fact that he felt he could not work without music playing ¹⁷.

At the turn of the 21st century, Terzian had become a household name in the Lebanese cultural field. As a result, in the early 2010s ¹⁸ , Terzian was offered a seat on the committee 19 of the Hamazkayin Art Gallery in Lebanon. This was an institution dedicated to serving the Lebanese-Armenian community and culture ²⁰ . In 2016, Terzian was even able to quit the family business he had been a part of for four decades ²¹ , to become a full-time artist ²².

A year after his retirement from the family business, a major rupture in Terzian’s oeuvre occurred. Terzian always aimed to never repeat himself, to always produce something new ²³, and this rupture is a testament to that truth. From 2017 and onwards, Terzian slowly moved towards a manner of painting he refers to as Geometric Abstraction ²⁴ . He still worked in Semi-Abstract Figurative Expressionism after 2017, with a piece like 2019’s Echo which embodies much of Terzian’s initial period, though it was created towards the end of it. Echo is a painting that is part of the Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation collection, and depicts two women rendered non-mimetically, centering their bodies, particularly their cleavage. The artwork employs a dynamic blend of vibrant reds, and blues interspersed with highlights of whites and yellows, and bursts of black and purple, creating an emotionally charged and expressive composition. The uniform rendering of the women’s faces, the exaggeration of their bodily features, and the watery dizziness in which this piece is colored suggest a state of libidinal intoxication.

As we step into the late 2010’s however, his work in Geometric Abstraction becomes much more ubiquitous than that of Semi-Abstract Figurative Expressionism. Geometric Abstraction is a way of making art in which shapes do not refer to any ideal or real-life physical structures ²⁵ . This period for Terzian was filled with portrayals of pure abstract geometry ²⁶ , of course, but also paintings with some saliency of subject matter. Terzian rendered things like cityscapes and landscapes ²⁷ , while having the late great Etel Adnan in mind ²⁸. He used assertive monochromatic shapes to portray the vastness and uniformity of the rural scenery he depicted ²⁹ , in a manner quite similar to Etel Adnan’s portrayal of such scenery ³⁰ . Much of the landscapes produced during this period were inspired by the artists’ visit to Canyon National Park, in Utah, in the United States, as well as Faraya, an iconic mountain village in Lebanon ³¹.

During this period of Terzian’s artistic career, he also participated in general Arab and Lebanese iconography in his portrayal of things like the palm tree ³² in a work about Dubai. He also recreated the columns of Baalbak ³³ and the symbolic olive tree ³⁴ . Though he had painted such national and regional pieces of iconography in the previous Semi-Abstract period ³⁵ , they seemed to appear more consistently in this later Geometric period. The Blooming Olive Tree (2021), found in the collection of the Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, includes many of the motifs of the artist’s second period, such as the use of monochromatic chunks – imperfect shapes to portray rural space. Missak uses a vibrant and varied palette of predominantly yellows and greens, interspersed with red orange and even black to create the illusion of foliage. The Blooming Olive Tree also centres the olive tree, a symbol of Palestinian nationhood ³⁶, standing testament to the bigger role that Arab iconography played in this period.

Terzian produced The Blooming Olive Tree, Echo, and virtually all of his art in a premeditated manner ³⁷, and usually finished them in one day ³⁸. In the 20^th century, Terzian would brainstorm sketches in a notebook which he would then reproduce as paintings on a canvas. These days, however, Terzian often works on a laptop when he is away from his studio and then realizes his drafts onto a canvas upon his return to the studio. Across his career and time spent at his studio, Terzian utilized an ensemble of materials, in each of his periods respectively. In the period of Semi-Abstract Figurative Expressionism, Terzian mostly used oil on canvas to produce his works ¹ . Exceptionally, the artist at one point used tapestry wool ² that paid homage to Picasso ³ among many others ⁴ . While in the period of Geometric Abstraction, he generally preferred the use of acrylic ⁵. There were a few exceptions to this general tendency where the artist would use oil on canvas for works of Geometric Abstraction like he did for Earth Rise (2021) ⁶.

Missak Terzian currently lives between Los Angeles and Lebanon still trying to produce something new and fresh every time he enters his studio. Apart from painting, his biggest passion today is his grandchildren.

Edited by Wafa Roz & Elsie Labban

Sources:

“Azur.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Beirut City.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

Blocnote MTV Villa Zein interview Aug 2012. YouTube. MTV, 2012.

“Dubai (Palm Tree Series).” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Earth Rise 2.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Exhibitions.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Fantaisie En Ut Mineur.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Femmes de Picasso.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Figurative Art.” Figurative Art. Accessed August 26, 2023. nationalgalleries 

“Geometric Abstraction: Moma.” The Museum of Modern Art. Accessed August 26, 2023. www.moma.org 

Kuttab, Daoud. “How the Olive Tree Came to Symbolize Palestinian National Identity.” Arab News, November 28, 2021. https://www.arabnews.com 

“Landmark Series – Baalbek 1.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Landscape Series – Ammiq.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Landscape Series – Valley 2.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Le Fumeur En Blanc.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Musicians (Standing).” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Musique.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Sans Titre.” Centre Pompidou. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.centrepompidou.fr 

“Semi-Abstract.” In Dictionary.Com, 2007.

Sibai, Liam. Interview with Missak Terzian. Other. Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

“Skyhill No.9.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

Terzian, Missak, and Joseph Tarrab. Metamorphosis: 25 Years of Painting. Beirut, Liban: Terre du Liban, 2005.

Terzian, Missak. “Resume.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 22, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“The Guitar.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

“Trefle-Femmes.” Missak Terzian. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.missakterzian.com 

Notes:

¹ Missak Terzian, “Resume,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 22, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com 

² Missak Terzian and Joseph Tarrab, Metamorphosis: 25 Years of Painting (Beirut, Liban: Terre du Liban, 2005).

³ “Exhibitions,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com 

⁴ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

⁵ Missak Terzian, “Resume,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 22, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com 

⁶ “Semi-Abstract,” in Dictionary.Com, 2007.

⁷ Tate, “Expressionism,” Tate, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.tate.org.uk

⁸ “Figurative Art,” Figurative Art, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.nationalgalleries

⁹ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d

¹⁰ “Exhibitions,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com/exhibitions/.

¹¹ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

¹² “The Bird and the Cat,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

¹³ VID 20230530 WA0012, YouTube (Missak Terzian, 2023), 

¹⁴ “Musicians (Standing),” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

¹⁵ “The Guitar,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

¹⁶ “Musique,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com/portfolio-type/musique/. 

¹⁷ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

¹⁸ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

¹⁹ Blocnote MTV Villa Zein Interview Aug 2012, YouTube (MTV, 2012),

²⁰ “About Us,” Hamazkayin Lucy Tutunjian Art Gallery, October 21, 2019, https://artgallery.hamazkayin 

²¹ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

²² Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

²³ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

²⁴ Missak Terzian, “Resume,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 22, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com 

²⁵ “Geometric Abstraction: Moma,” The Museum of Modern Art, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.moma.org 

²⁶ “Azur,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

²⁷ “Landscape Series – Ammiq,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

²⁸ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d

²⁹ “Landscape Series – Valley 2,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

³⁰ “Sans Titre,” Centre Pompidou, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.centrepompidou.fr 

³¹ Missak Terzian, “Resume,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 22, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com 

³² “Dubai (Palm Tree Series),” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

³³ “Landmark Series – Baalbek 1,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

³⁴ “The Olive Tree,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023,  https://www.missakterzian.com

³⁵ “Le Fumeur En Blanc,” Missak Terzian, accessed August 26, 2023, https://www.missakterzian.com

³⁶ Daoud Kuttab, “How the Olive Tree Came to Symbolize Palestinian National Identity,” Arab News, November

³⁷ Liam Sibai, Interview with Missak Terzian, other, Dalloul Art Foundation, n.d.

³⁸ Missak Terzian and Joseph Tarrab, Metamorphosis: 25 Years of Painting (Beirut, Liban: Terre du Liban, 2005).