General Provisions

The “S. Parajanov Museum” State Non-Profit Organization was established by the order No. 44 of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia dated December 30, 1992. According to this order, on June 11, 1993, Henrik Artashes Petrosyan, the chief curator of the Museum of Armenian Folk Art, transferred, and Karen Vahe Mikayelyan, the chief curator of the newly established S. Parajanov Museum, received a total of 672 museum items (according to the order of the director of the Museum of Armenian Folk Art dated March 22, 1988, 36 works by Sergei Parajanov were accepted for permanent preservation in this museum. Until the order No. 44 of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia dated December 30, 1992, the S. Parajanov Museum operated as a branch of the Museum of Armenian Folk Art).

According to the order No. 59 of the director of the “S. Parajanov Museum” State Non-Profit Organization dated December 2, 2019, and based on the act formed on the results of the commission created to check the availability of the collection in the museum, the entries in the main inventory registers, and the presence of the acts, there are currently 1640 registered museum items in the main fund of the museum.

The collection of the S. Parajanov Museum consists of the main and scientific auxiliary funds.

Main Fund Composition: Includes the works and personal belongings of filmmaker and artist Sergei Parajanov, as well as works by other artists that depict Parajanov or were inspired by his art.

• Cinema-Photo-Phono: Film scripts, documentary and commemorative photographs.
• Artworks: Drawings, paintings, film sketches, collages, assemblages.
• Decorative Applied Arts: Carpets, embroidery samples, clothing, hats, dolls, metal and ceramic utensils, furniture.
• Documents: Letters and personal documents.

Scientific Auxiliary Fund: This includes materials that do not have the characteristic quality or special features of museum items but assist in their study and display.

The Scientific Auxiliary Fund includes:

• Decorative Applied Arts: Carpets, embroidery samples, metal and ceramic utensils, furniture.
• Mass Media Materials: Newspapers, magazines, posters, flyers, postcards.
• Audio and Video Recordings: Modern electronic media containing audio, video, and other documentary materials.

Museum furniture such as display cases, cabinets, as well as all types of audiovisual equipment included in the exhibition, are not included in the museum's funds.

Goals and Objectives of Enrichment: The function of enrichment should be purposeful and correspond to the functions established by the charter of the “S. Parajanov Museum” State Non-Profit Organization. Periodic enrichment by the organization should serve to preserve, study, purposefully use, and promote the artworks of Sergei Parajanov, particularly the museum items kept in the main fund of the museum. It should also contribute to the ongoing work in this field. Enrichment should facilitate the organization of permanent thematic scientific exhibitions, the enrichment of the existing permanent exhibition, and the re-interpretation of issues related to the life and activities of Sergei Parajanov. It should also contribute to the implementation of cultural, scientific, and educational programs, the development of cultural tourism, and the promotion of cultural heritage through temporary and traveling exhibitions and various publications. In carrying out enrichment work, accidental or non-purposeful acquisitions should be avoided.

Methods, Principles, Types, and Criteria of Enrichment: An important prerequisite for enriching the museum collection is preserving its integrity to ensure the completeness of cultural value information. Enrichment is carried out through current purchases, donations, exchanges, and targeted orders. The work of enrichment is performed according to systematic, thematic, and complex types based on the principles and approaches of classification, accounting, and preservation of collections.

Enrichment work is performed based on general and specific criteria characteristic of museum items. During the collection work, it is necessary to document and record complete information about the collection, which greatly enhances the scientific value of the museum item or collection and allows the scientific information database related to the collection to be presented more comprehensively and fully.

Sources of Enrichment: The work of enriching the collection of the “S. Parajanov Museum” State Non-Profit Organization is ongoing. The sources for enriching the collection include:

• Cultural items and values owned by legal and physical persons.
• Cultural values available for sale in antique shops and stores.
• Cultural items and values discovered during ethnographic expeditions.