Garo Antreasian
Quick Facts
Biography
Garo Zareh Antreasian (1922 – 2018) was an American printmaker and educator. He was a co-founder of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, California.
Early life and education
Antreasian was born on 16 February 1922, Indianapolis, Indiana, to Armenian immigrants Zareh Moses Antreasian (born 1880/81 in Manisa, Turkey) and his wife Takouhie Antreasian. His father was a tailor by trade. He was named after Garabed, his mother's brother.
He had a brother named Berj.
After graduating from Arsenal Technical High School, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1940, Garo received a half-tuition scholarship to the Herron School of Art and Design, Indianapolis, Indiana. After his second year at the college, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard on November 3, 1942. He resumed his college education after being discharged.
After finishing his education at Herron School, he moved to New York where he studied at Atelier 17 and the Art Students League of New York.
Career
In 1960 he was one of the founders of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, California. There he served as the first technical director and master printer. The Tamarind moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where is became known as the Tamarind Institute. In 1964 Antreasian moved to Albuquerque as well, where he taught art at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and retained his relationship with the Tamarind. He was involved with bringing the Tamarind Institute under the auspices of UNM. Antreasian taught at UNM from 1964-1987 and eventually became the chairman of the Department of Art and Art History, and then professor emeritus after his retirement.
In 1985 Antreasian received a Fulbright Award to travel to Brazil and lecture in Sáo Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In 2015 University of New Mexico Press published his book Garo Z. Antreasian: Reflections on Life and Art.
Antreasian's work is included in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Personal life
Antreasian married Jeanne (née Glascock) Antreasian (born January 9, 1921) on May 2, 1946, in a neighborhood church in Irvington, Indiana. They had at least one son, David, (born January 22, 1947.)
Death
Antreasian died on November 3, 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.