Dikran Kelekian
Encyclopedia
Dikran Kelekian a notable collector and dealer of Islamic art
. The son of an Armenian
banker from Kayseri
, Dikran Kelekian and his brother Kevork set themselves up in the antiquities business in Istanbul
in 1892. The next year Dikiran came to the United States
as a commissioner for the Persian Paviliaon at the World's Columbia Exposition in Chicago
. He soon established shops in New York
, Paris
, London
, and Cairo
, where he and his brother flourished as vendors selling works of art and antiquities.
In 1900 Kelekian apparently served as a member of the jury for the Universal Exposition in Paris, and in 1903 he lent a number of his works to the Exposition of Muslim Arts at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, also in Paris. The following year he participated in the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
, mounting a large display of his wares and accompanying the display with an illustrated catalogue. Already by this time Kelekian seems to have been recognized by the shah of Iran
for his efforts to promote Persian art and culture, and he had added the honorific title of Khan between his first and last names.
Eventually Kelekian became an American citizen, adding another country of allegiance to those of his heritage (Armenia), his birth (Turkey), and his professional interest and recognition (Iran).
An expert in Islamic, and particularly Persian, pottery he was actively involved in the sale of medieval Islamic ceramics following the finds in Rayy in the late 1880s - early 1890s, as well as the excavations begun in Raqqa in 1896 and Sultanabad and Varamin in 1905.
One author sketched his character like so: "He is a creature so curiously compounded that, under his grim and sometimes awesome visage, he combines, in one person, the qualities of a Persian satrap and a properly accredited archangel, of Ghenghis Khan and the Chevalier Bayard, of Thor, the God of Thunder and Saint Francis of Assisi."
Kelekian was a member of the Central Board of Directors of the Armenian General Benevolent Union
(AGBU) and in 1909 he funded an AGBU orphanage bearing his name in Deort Yol (in modern day Turkey) for Armenian refugees fleeing the Adana massacres.
He was also a major donor to AGBU's various activities to save Armenians that survived the tragic 1915, the Armenian Genocide
.
Kelekian died in January 1951 when he fell from the twenty-first floor of the St. Moritz hotel in New York.
Islamic art
Islamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations...
. The son of an Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
banker from Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
, Dikran Kelekian and his brother Kevork set themselves up in the antiquities business in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 1892. The next year Dikiran came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a commissioner for the Persian Paviliaon at the World's Columbia Exposition in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He soon established shops in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, where he and his brother flourished as vendors selling works of art and antiquities.
In 1900 Kelekian apparently served as a member of the jury for the Universal Exposition in Paris, and in 1903 he lent a number of his works to the Exposition of Muslim Arts at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, also in Paris. The following year he participated in the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
, mounting a large display of his wares and accompanying the display with an illustrated catalogue. Already by this time Kelekian seems to have been recognized by the shah of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
for his efforts to promote Persian art and culture, and he had added the honorific title of Khan between his first and last names.
Eventually Kelekian became an American citizen, adding another country of allegiance to those of his heritage (Armenia), his birth (Turkey), and his professional interest and recognition (Iran).
An expert in Islamic, and particularly Persian, pottery he was actively involved in the sale of medieval Islamic ceramics following the finds in Rayy in the late 1880s - early 1890s, as well as the excavations begun in Raqqa in 1896 and Sultanabad and Varamin in 1905.
One author sketched his character like so: "He is a creature so curiously compounded that, under his grim and sometimes awesome visage, he combines, in one person, the qualities of a Persian satrap and a properly accredited archangel, of Ghenghis Khan and the Chevalier Bayard, of Thor, the God of Thunder and Saint Francis of Assisi."
Kelekian was a member of the Central Board of Directors of the Armenian General Benevolent Union
Armenian General Benevolent Union
The Armenian General Benevolent Union abbreviated as AGBU, is a non-profit Armenian organization. It was established in Cairo, Egypt in 1906...
(AGBU) and in 1909 he funded an AGBU orphanage bearing his name in Deort Yol (in modern day Turkey) for Armenian refugees fleeing the Adana massacres.
He was also a major donor to AGBU's various activities to save Armenians that survived the tragic 1915, the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
.
Kelekian died in January 1951 when he fell from the twenty-first floor of the St. Moritz hotel in New York.