Photos: Nationality of Aivazovsky Changed Again at New York’s Metropolitan Museum, Emphasizing His Armenian Heritage

The world-renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has revised the biographical details of famous seascape painter Ivan Aivazovsky, reflecting his Armenian heritage following complaints from community members and a report by the Asbarez newspaper.

Now, in works such as "The Ship in a Stormy Sea" and "The Ship in Moonlight," as well as in Aivazovsky's photographic portrait, his Armenian name, Hovhannes Aivazyan, is noted, and it states that he is Armenian, born in a region that was once part of the Russian Empire, now located in Ukraine.

Additionally, the brief biographical note now mentions that “Aivazovsky had a rich cultural and linguistic background” and that he was part of the Armenian community of his hometown. Previously, the biographical section only briefly noted that the seascape painter was born into an Armenian family.

Previously, the Metropolitan Museum of Art considered Aivazovsky a Russian painter. In February, amid the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was decided to change the seascape painter's biographical details, labeling him as Ukrainian.