Vahan Hovivian (1899-1981)

Vahan Mikael (Michael) Hovivian was born in Istanbul in 1899. The information about his early life in Turkey is scarce. We know two facts; that he studied art in the Fine Arts School of Istanbul for three years (1915-1918), and also after that he became a disciple for around one year to a great Armenian artist named Panos Terlemezian (1865-1941), who lived in that city temporarily from 1919, to 1922. Eventually harsh political and social circumstances in Turkey caused the abandonment of art by young Hovivian and consequently his move in 1924 to Alexandria, probably to join some relatives there.

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