Haroutioun Martin Keskiskian

HAROUTIOUN MARTIN KESKISKIAN

 Haroutioun Martin Keskiskian was born on 24 December 1922 in Buenos Aires. Due to the family’s dire financial circumstances, he was only able to complete his elementary education. Nevertheless, driven by his love for art and thirst for knowledge, he chose to pursue self-education. Subsequently, he became involved in different business ventures and, after completing the compulsory military service, he eventually established himself in the industry of leather goods production, gradually expanding his business to wholesale distribution. In 1949, he married Hadjentsi Armenia Tursarkisian (born in 1926) and had three children: Kevork Jorge (born 26 December 1951), Sirvard Graciela (1954), and Haroutioun Martin (1955-1986). Kevork Jorge is a graduate of the Economics Department; he married Alicia Ana Tchabrazian (psychoanalyst) and they raised their three daughters: Nadia (bodybuilding coach), Noelia (pediatrician), Cecilia (architect), and five grandchildren: Martin, Lucia, Diego, Tomas and Camila. Sirvard Graciela has three children. Haroutioun M. Keskiskian established himself as an artist in the realm of photography. With the necessary equipment at hand, he opened his photographic laboratory. He garnered recognition in the field and received numerous awards including international ones. With the Argentinian Navy fellows, he founded Foto Club Marina and headed it for a couple of decades. His photographs depicted his journeys to the shores of Patagonia in the south of Argentina, closest to the Antarctic, which included thousands of captivating photos as well as substantial historical and documentary material which were on display at different international exhibitions. He also held exhibitions in Yerevan and was warmly received by our compatriots. His artistic contributions have extended to Armenian communities in South America. He portrayed the Armenian people and the country’s rich historical and cultural heritage through thousands of impressive photographs. The Armenian diaspora, their everyday lives, sacred places, and historical landmarks that bear witness to the unredeemed genocide, also captured his attention. The Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Vasken I expressed great admiration for Haroutioun’s accomplishments, and Haroutioun, in his turn, captured the Supreme Patriarch in his photographs. His Holiness Vasken I frequently shared his photographs with visitors to the Cathedral. For his services to the Motherland, Vasken I bestowed upon H. M. Keskiskian the “St. Sahak-St. Mesrop” order of the Armenian Church, while Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the First President of the Republic of Armenia, granted him Armenian citizenship. As a token of recognition for his significant contribution to the development and prosperity of Nor Hachn town, Ashot Harutyunyan, the founder of Nor Hachn, honored Haroutioun Martin with the title of “Honorary Citizen” in appreciation of his immense efforts towards the development and prosperity of the town. Haroutioun Martin Keskiskian passed away on 6 April 2001 at the age of 78. He found rest next to his son, Haroutioun Martin, at St. Gayane’s Churchyard.