Marc Balakjian was born in 1940. His parents were survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. He grew up in Lebanon, in the small town of Rayak next to a French military airbase. At the age of 10he moved to Beirut with his parents. In 1966 he came to England to study architecture. After working a year in Oxford as an architectral draftsman he decided to study art. From 1967 to 1970 he studied painting at Hammersmith College of Art in London and from 1971 to 1973 postgraduate printmaking at the Slade School of Fine Art.
He has taught printmaking in many art schools in Great Britain, Europe and the USA. He has had one man shows in London, Belgium, Norway and Canada and participated in numerous group shows including many International Print and Drawing Biennales and Triennales in Europe, Japan and the USA. He was awarded many international prizes in these exhibitions.
His work is included in a great number of public gallery and museum collections in Great Britain, Europe and the USA. These include The British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, London; City Art Gallery, Edinburgh; Glynn Vivien Art Gallery, Swansea; Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; Albertina Museum, Vienna; Modern Art Museum, Dublin; Modern Art Museum Fredrikstad, Norway and the National Gallery of Art Washinton, USA.
Mark Balakjian died on the 10th of August 2017 at his home in London. Hi is survived by his children, Aram and Tamar.
Obituary
The Guardian - Award-winning artist and printmaker who resurrected the obscure medium of mezzotint, once popular for reproducing Constables and Turners. Read full obituary
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
ENGLAND
London: British Museum.
Victoria and Albert Museum.
British Council Collection.
University College London: Art Collection.
Birmingham: Birmingham Art Gallery.
Bradford: City Museum and Art Gallery.
Chelmsford: Chelmsford and Essex Museum.
Dudley: Dudley Art Gallery.
Exeter: Royal Albert Museum.
Gateshead: Shipley Art Gallery.
Leeds: Leeds City Art Gallery.
Leicester: City Museum and Art Gallery.
Leigh: Turnpike Art Gallery.
Lincoln: Usher Gallery.
Oldham: Oldham Art Gallery
Plymouth: City Museum and Art Gallery.
Portsmouth: Museum and Art Gallery.
Salford: Salford Art Gallery.
Sheffield: Graves Art Gallery.
Southampton: Southampton Art Gallery.
Worcester: Worchester Museum and Art Gallery.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast: Arts Council Collection of Northern Ireland.
SCOTLAND
Aberdeen: Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Edinburgh: City Art Gallery.
WALES
Swansea: Glyn Vivien Art Gallery.
AUSTRIA
Vienna: Albertina Museum.
BELGIUM
Brussels: Centre de la Culture Francaise.
La Louviere: Centre de la gravure et de l'Image Imprimee.
CANADA
Alberta: University art collection.
FRANCE
Paris: Bibliotheque Nationale.
Angouleme: Musee d'Angouleme.
Chamaliere: Musee d'Art Moderne.
Mulhouse: Cabinet des Estempes, Bibliotheque de Mulhouse.
GERMANY
Cologne: Artothek der Stadbucheri.
Gelsenkirchen: Gelsenkirchen Museum.
Berlin: Graphothek
HOLLAND
Utrecht: Bureau Culturelle Zoken.
ITALY
Cremona: Civic Museum.
IRELAND,
Dublin: Modern Art Museum.
LIECHTENSTEIN
Vaduz: State Art Collection.
NORWAY
Fredrikstad: Modern Art Museum.
POLAND
Lodz: City Art Gallery.
SWEDEN
Mariefred: Swedish Print Centre, Grafikens Hus.
U.S.A.
Washington: National Gallery of Art.
Michigan: Madison Art Institute Center.
Minnesota: Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Portland: Art Museum.
Worcester: Art Museum, Yale University.
Timeline
1940 Born in Armenia; grew up in Lebanon.Since 1966 living in London.
1962 First visit to Europe: France, Switzerland, Italy.
1963 Second visit to Europe: Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Demark and Sweden.
1967-1971 Studied painting at Hammersmith College of Art.
1971-1973 Studied printmaking: Postgraduate at the Slade School of Fine Art, London.
INTERNATIONAL PRINT AND DRAWING EXHIBITIONS
2008, 2007, 2006,2004,Festival de gravure, Diekirch, Luxembourg
2008,2006 ,2002, 2000, 1998, 1989, 1987, 1985, 1983, 1981 - Petit Format de papier, Couvin, Belgium.
2008, 2005, 1996, 1991,1989,1985,1979 - Biennale of Small Prints, Lodz, Poland.
2008, 2006, 2003,2000,1998,1996 - Biennale of Miniature Arts, Milanovac,Yugoslavia.
2007, 5th International Small Print Exhibition, Cremona, Italy.
2000 Relativities: 4th British International Miniature Print Biennale, Bristol, and touring England.
2000, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1992, Kisgrafika, Budapest, Hungary.
1996 4th Biennale of Graphic Art, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
1996 Mezzotint Art of Darkness, New Orleans Museum of Art,U.S.A.
1996 International Worldwide Print Exhibition, Portland Art Museum, Portland, U.S.A.
1994, 1986 - Triennale Mondiale de l'Estampe Petit Format, Chamalieres, France.
1992, 1990 Interprint, Lviv, Ukraine.
1991 Bharat Bhavan Biennale of Prints, Bhopal, India.
1993, 1991 Aestas V, IV, Luxembourg.
1990 Intergrafik, Berlin, Germany.
1990, 1976, 1973 - Primio Biella, Italy
1989 Ripope 2, Centre de la gravure, Louviere, Belgium.
1986 Miniature 4, Small Prints triennale, Fredrikstad, Norway.
1984 Mezzotint Competition, Philadelphia Print Club, Philadelphia,U.S.A.
1983 Contemporary mezzotints, World Print Council, San Francisco, U.S.A.
1983, 1979- Print Biennale, Ibiza, Spain.
1982, 1979, and 1976 - British Print Biennale, Bradford, England.
1980 Maitres de la Maniere Noire, Kunstforum, Schelderode, Belgium.
1980, 1978 - Print Biennale, Listowel, Ireland.
1980, 1976 - Krakow Print Biennale, Krakow, Poland.
1980, 1978, 1976, 1974 _ Drawing Biennale, Rejeka, Ex Yugoslavia.
1979, 1977- Miami Print Biennale, Miami, U.S.A.
1979 - Knots and Fetishes, World Print Council, San Francisco, U.S.A.
1979 - Oeuvres Acquises 76, 77, 78 Palais des beaux Arts, Bruxelles, Belgium.
1979 - The Fifth Independent Exhibition, Kanagawa, Japan.
1978, 1976, 1974 Norwegian Print Biennale, Fredrikstad, Norway.
1978, 1976, 1974 Frechen Print biennale, Frechen. Germany.
1978 Tours Multiple. Exhibition of drawings, Tours, France.
1978 Les Metarealistes, galerie Bellint, Paris, France.
1978 L'Estampe Aujourd'hui 1973 - 1978 Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France.
1978 Contemporary Drawings, Christchurch, New Zealand.
1978 European Biennale of Prints, Mulhouse, France.
1978 Print Biennale, Bonsecours, Belgium.
1978 Print Biennale, Angouleme, France.
1977, 1975, 1970 Miniature Print Exhibition, Pratt Institute, New York, U.S.A.
1977, 1973 Ljubljana Print Biennale, Ljubljana, Ex Yugoslavia.
1977 World Print Competition, San Francisco, U.S.A.
1976, 1972 Intergrafia, Katowice, Poland.
1976 Triennale of colour prints, Grenchen, Switzerland.
1976 Florence Print Biennale, Florence, Italy.
1976 Salon de Mai, Paris, France.
1976 Miniature Print Exhibition, Albrecht Durer Museum, Nurenburg, Germany.
1975, 1973 Drawing Biennale. Middlesborough, England.
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2007, 2006, Contemporary Etching, The Walk Gallery, London, England.
2006, Multiple Choice, Fermyn Wood Gallery, Kettering, England.
2004, Paper, Plate, Pigment. Drawings and prints, Morley Gallery, London, England.
1997, Subjective Eye, Three Artist Show, Morley Gallery, London, England.
1996, Quatre Regards, Galerie Sylve, Paris, France.
1994, 1+1, Morley Gallery, London, England.
1990, 100 Years, Artists and Morley, Morley Gallery, London, England.
1987, AD 87, Barbican Centre, London, England.
1986, 7 British Artists, Fenderesky Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1985, AD 85, Barbican Centre, London, England.
1985, 7 British Printmakers, Fenderosky Art Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1985, Modern Mezzotints, Christies Contemporary Art Gallery, London, England.
1984, Contemporary Mezzotints, Oxford Gallery, Oxford, England.
1984, Ways of Seeing, Philadelphia Print Club Gallery, Philadelphia, U.S.A.
1983, Gravures Contemporaines, Galerie James Mayor, Paris, France.
1982, Contemporary Drawings and Watercolours, Curwen Gallery, London, England.
1980, Contemporary Mezzotints, Galerie Vivant, Tokyo, Japan.
1980, Leading Contemporary Prints, Galerie S 65, Aalst, Belgium.
1979, Back to Black II, Contemporary Mezzotints, Thumb Gallery, London, England.
1979, Manieres Noires Contemporaines, Galerie Contour, Brussels, Belgium.
1979, Drawings and Prints,Curwen Gallery, London, England.
1979, Contemporary Drawings, Jordan Gallery, London, England.
1977, Gravures Anglaises Contemporaines,Art Curial, Paris, France.
1977, Contemporary Prints, Galerie Deux Tetes, Toronto, Canada.
1977, Miniature Prints, Gallery Henning,Hamburg,Germany.
1977, Contemporary Prints, Gallery L, Hamburg, Germany.
1977, Contemporary Mezzotints, Oxford Gallery, Oxford, England.
1976, Works From the Print Workshop, London.Galeria Grafico, Tokyo, Japan.
1976, Contemporary British Drawings, Curwen Gallery, London, England.
1976, Six Contemporary British Printmakers, Jordan Gallery, London, England.
1975, Gravures Anglaises Contemporaines, Galerie Arnaud, Paris, France.
1975, Back to Black, Contemporary Mezzotints, Thumb Gallery, London, England.
1975, Figures into Spaces, Contemporary Drawings, Curwen Gallery, London, England.
1974, Prints, Boston University Art Gallery, Boston, U.S.A.
1974, Contemporary Mezzotints, Oxford University Press , London, England.
1974, Contemporary International Mezzotints, Park Square Gallery, Leeds, England.
1973, Prints, Guildhall Picture Gallery, Winchester, England.
ONE MAN SHOWS
1989, Kunstforening, Skiens, Norway.
1981, Club des Multiples, Gerpinnes, Belgium.
1978, Galerie Avalon, Avalon, France.
1977, TrudstolpegardGallery, Sakskobing, Denmark.
1977, Octagon Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1977, Jordan Gallery, London, England.
1976, Paperworks Gallery, Vancouver, Canada.
INTERNATIONAL PRIZES
1996, 1st Prize for Graphics, International Biennale of Miniature Arts, Milanovac, Yugoslavia.
1994, Grand Prix, Kisgrafika, International Print Biennale, Budapest, Hungary.
1989, Honorary Medal, International Print Biennale of Small Prints, Lodz, Poland.
1978, Honourable Mention, European Print Biennale, Mulhouse, France.
1978, Honourable Mention, International Print Biennale, Angouleme, France.
1976, First Prize, International Triennaleof Colour Prints, Grenchen, Swetzerland.
1976, Third Prize, Norwegian, International Print Biennale, Fredrikstad, Norway.
1976, Medal, International Print Biennale, Frechen, Germany.
1974, Purchase Prize, IVth. International Drawing Biennale, Rejeka, Yugoslavia.
TEACHING
1973 -1978: Watford School of Art.
Lecturer in charge of printmaking department.
1973 - present: Morley College Printmaking Department.
1975, 1976: Brighton College of Art, Postgraduate Printmaking Department.
1975, 1976: Chelsea School of Art, Postgraduate Printmaking Department.
1974 -1995: Visiting lecturer at the following:
Slade School of Fine Art.
Chelsea School of Art.
Kingston Polytechnic.
The Ruskin School of Art.
TEACHING ABROAD
1981: Academie des Beaux Arts, Mons, Belgium.
1987: Mississippi University, Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.A.