Joseph Egoyan The Abstract Artist
On November 10, 1933, Joseph Egoyan was born in Cairo. Being a gifted boy, he received art instruction from 1946 to 1947 from Carlo Minotti. He studied art in the studio of Ashod Zorian (1905–1971), who taught art to many students in his famous Cairo studio from 1941 to January 1969. On January 14–24, 1950, still a 16-year-old teenager, encouraged by his teacher Zorian, he exhibited 60 of his drawings and watercolours at Dikran Antranikian’s gallery, A.D.A.M. This earliest solo exhibition was a successful one. His works were praised by all, including the gallery owner, despite his status as a promising newcomer. This exhibition was reorganized in Alexandria in April 1950 at "Amitiés Françaises," but this time it was accompanied by a show of works by Herant Antranikian (1902-1963). After two years, he exhibited once more at Gallery A.D.A.M.
He displayed 40 oil paintings this time, including landscapes, portraits, flowers, and still lives. This exhibition was praised by Onnig Avedissian in his monumental book “Peintres et Sculpteurs Armeniens ”. In 1952, Egoyan went to the USA. There, supported by the YMCA, he studied for two years at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He then attended the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland for two years, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education. During his studies in the United States, he abandoned his earlier figurative style in favor of a geometric abstract style, influenced by the American artistic atmosphere and teaching.
In 1956, Egoyan returned to Egypt as an enthusiastic young artist with many future plans and "dreams." Some of his works were shown in Cairo's annual salons in 1957 and 1958, in the second group exhibition of Armenian-Egyptian artists in May 1958, and in the Alexandria Biennale in 1958. 1958 was a watershed moment in Egoyan's life and career. He married Shoushan Deuvletian on June 23, a talented young artist who had studied art in Zorian's studio from 1952 to 1957.
They opened their EGO ARTS Gallery at 8 Kasr El-Nil Street in Cairo on October 31, 1957. They held a solo exhibition of Egoyan's works on this occasion. Atom, their son, was born on July 10, 1960. From April 1 to 8, 1961, an important exhibition was held by the two artists, Joseph Egoyan and Rose Papasian, at the notorious Museum of Modern Art, Cairo.
In January 1962, Joseph and Shoushan participated for the last time in a group exhibition by Armenian-Egyptian artists at Galerie “L’Art pour Tous”. On that “Black Saturday”, January 26th, 1952, all foreign establishments in Cairo (cinemas, magazines, coffee shops, etc.) were burned down by a mob. Consequently, the exodus of foreign communities in Egypt started. It was accelerated in the early 1960s, owing to a disturbed political situation, and tens of thousands of Armenians, Greeks, Italians, etc. left Egypt, migrating to Canada, Australia, Brazil, the USA, etc. On this background, in 1962, Joseph migrated with his family to Canada. At first, they went to Vancouver in British Columbia, but soon they moved to Victoria (in the same province). There, they established their new (second) art gallery, named Ego Interiors, at 1028 Fort Street, and they became one of Victoria’s leading interior designers.
However, they never stopped their own creative activities as painters. Meanwhile, their daughter Eve was born in 1964. In 1970, Joseph held a major exhibition of his paintings titled “Birds” at the British Columbia Province Museum. Shoushan continued to show her works successfully at the Winchester Gallery well into her seventies. After a devastating earthquake in Armenia in 1988, Joseph helped raise a significant amount from the Victoria community and was commended for his extraordinary charitable work by the Canadian Red Cross Society as well as receiving an award from the Austrian Albert Schweitzer Foundation. His artwork is in private collections around the globe, in addition to the National Gallery of Armenia.
Along with his brother Stepan and sister Araxi, Egoyan leaves behind his wife Shushan, children Atom and Eve, grandchildren Arshile and Viva, and other relatives. Being the parents of well-known pianist Eve Egoyan and filmmaker Atom Egoyan had always made Joseph and Shoushan proud. Joe passed away in June 2019. He was among Egypt's first abstract painters in history. His works, despite being highly charged emotionally, were rationalistic creations that can be stylistically identified easily, hence their originality.
