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Mount Royal, May 29, 2017 – On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Reginald J. P. Dawson Library, Dr. Megerditch Tarakdjian, a physician who is also a renowned sculptor, has decided to give free rein to his generosity and donate to the Town one of his works, a magnificent, large bronze titled The Reader. A welcome addition to the Town’s public art collection, the sculpture will embellish the library’s main entrance at the corner of Graham Boulevard and Kindersley Avenue.
Although the work will be officially unveiled on May 31, it was unofficially unveiled on May 26. Bringing together friends and members of his family as well as several dignitaries, including Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Pierre Arcand and Armenian Ambassador to Canada Armen Yeganian, the reception honouring Dr. Tarakdjian provided an opportunity to speak with the artist, properly thank him for the donation and admire several other of his creations in the library’s exhibition hall.
The exhibition hall had already featured some of Dr. Tarakdjian’s smaller-scale works in the summer of 2016, when they were shown as part of a very popular temporary exhibition. Although not known as such at the time, one of them, a sculpture titled What’s New?, was actually a prototype for The Reader, a significantly larger work at 1.7 metres in height.
“It is a splendid sculpture whose theme could not be more appropriate,” said Mayor Philippe Roy. “Each visitor to the library will now be greeted by this bronze, which combines beauty and depth. Nor will the work escape the attention of passers-by, be they on a bicycle, behind the wheel or on foot.”
The works of Megerditch Tarakdjian can be viewed online at tarakdjian.com.