Hagop Kevorkian (1872–1962) was an Armenian-American archaeologist, art collector, dealer, and philanthropist whose excavations, exhibitions, and donations profoundly shaped Western appreciation of Persian, Islamic, Indian, and Near Eastern art during the early 20th century.
Born in Kayseri (Ottoman Empire) to an Armenian family, Kevorkian received elite education at Robert College in Istanbul, mastering languages and antiquities amid Ottoman decline. By the late 1890s, he established galleries in Constantinople and Paris, navigating post-Berlin Congress markets flooded with Anatolian, Mesopotamian artifacts. Settling in New York around 1900, he opened a Madison Avenue showroom, becoming the preeminent “Oriental art” dealer for Gilded Age tycoons and emerging museums.
Persian Excavations: Sultanabad and Rey Campaigns (1903–1907)
Kevorkian’s hands-on archaeology distinguished him from mere dealers. In 1903, he led digs at Sultanabad (Arak region), uncovering Seljuk-era ceramics, lusterware, and architectural fragments. Around 1907, Rey (near Tehran) excavations yielded medieval Islamic tilework, lacquer doors from Isfahan mosques, and Fatimid glass. These systematic recoveries—rare for private dealers—fueled pioneering exhibitions: London’s 1911 Islamic ceramics display, New York Folsom Galleries’ 1912–1914 shows introducing rhubarb-glazed bowls, mina’i ware to American eyes.
Landmark Exhibitions and Auctions
Kevorkian’s curatorial genius professionalized Oriental art commerce:
- 1912 Catalogue of Mohammedan Art (Folsom Galleries): First U.S. Islamic survey, blending Persian carpets, Mamluk brass.
- 1914 Muhammedan-Persian Art Exhibition: Anderson Galleries previewed his holdings.
- 1918 Sculpture, Painting and Drawings of Ancient India: Gupta bronzes, Kushan reliefs.
- 1922 Art from the Orient (Anderson): Peak opulence.
- 1925 Greek Vases, Roman Glass: Mediterranean pivot.
1920s Parke-Bernet auctions dispersed treasures—Safavid velvets, Timurid manuscripts—to Met, Boston MFA. His 1929 acquisition of the Shah Jahan Album (Mughal calligraphy-paintings) endures split between Metropolitan’s Kevorkian Gallery and Freer-Sackler.
Philanthropy: Penn Museum and Kevorkian Fund
University of Pennsylvania Museum’s largest single donor (99 objects), Kevorkian endowed the Kevorkian Fund (1950s), bankrolling T. Cuyler Young’s Hasanlu Tepe excavations (1956–1977, northwest Iran). 6th-millennium BC pottery, Mannaean ivories trace to his vision. Ottoman Mecidiye Order (1901) honored diplomatic finesse; Mercedes Volait ranks him with Kelekian, Brimo—Armenian dealers redirecting Damascus-Cairo trade to Paris-New York.
Diasporan Legacy Amid Controversy
Kevorkian’s career spanned Genocide prelude to Cold War collecting. Critics later questioned provenance—pre-UNESCO looted sites?—yet his excavations predated colonial ethics debates. New York twilight yielded lectures, benefactions; died 1962, leaving fragmented empire.
| Institution | Kevorkian Gifts/Loans |
|---|---|
| Penn Museum | 99 Near Eastern objects; Hasanlu funding |
| Metropolitan Museum | Shah Jahan Album folios; Kevorkian Gallery |
| Freer Gallery | Mughal pages |
| Boston MFA | Persian carpets, tiles |
| Louvre, V&A | Auction dispersals |
Enduring Synthesis: Kayseri Robert College alumnus globalized Anatolian bazaars for American vitrines. Sultanabad shards seeded Penn’s Iran wing; Rey tiles inspired Frank Lloyd Wright. Among Armenian savants—Hekekyan’s engineering, Kalantar’s digs—Kevorkian uniquely commodified splendor, Ottoman merchant illuminating Met’s domes with Isfahan light.