Emil Kazaz was born in January 1953 in Armenia and raised in a household alive with applied creativity: his father was a cobbler, and his

mother, a seamstress for a local theater, whom Kazaz credits as his primary artistic influence. She introduced him to theatrical

spectacle—including costumes, lighting, and staging—which continues to inform his work. Early exposure to Armenian religious art, from

manuscript illumination to tapestries and architectural forms, further shaped his aesthetic identity and his connection to Armenian cultural

Heritage. Kazaz’s artistic education began under the Soviet system, where he was formally trained in social realism, but he quickly integrated

Western influences, Renaissance and Baroque masters, and modern artists like El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Zurbarán, and Rivera into his visual

language. His creative process bridges drawing, painting, and sculpture, often blurring their boundaries, and is guided by a profound

engagement with storytelling, emotion, and human experience. His works frequently reference his personal history and environment, from

landscapes, churches, and hand-hewn objects, to multicultural symbols and religious iconography. Pieces like My Father and Mother (2000) and

Salto exemplify Kazaz’s integration of family homage, classical iconography, and dynamic figuration. His figures, gestures, and settings convey

psychological depth, moral tension, and “sensual mysticism,” reflecting both Armenian tradition and a personal cosmology informed by

imagination and spiritual inquiry. After leaving Armenia in 1980, Kazaz avoided superficial engagement with Western material culture, instead

turning inward, exploring universal questions, and incorporating religious motifs as central elements of his work. His art demonstrates mastery

of anatomy, perspective, color theory, and emotional storytelling, merging personal narrative, historical reference, and a multidimensional

Theatricality. Emil Kazaz remains an independent, visionary artist—an “artist’s artist”—whose multidisciplinary work combines humanist

integrity, dramatic visual storytelling, and inventive, emotionally charged figuration. His art creates immersive experiences that map human

nature and collective memory while celebrating beauty, love, and creative freedom.

EXHIBITIONS :

2009

International Fine Art Fair - Pasadena, CA

2008

Museum of Modern Art - Yerevan, Armenia

2007

Orangerie Du Luxemburg - Paris, France

Florence Biennale - Florence, Italy

La Coupole - Saint-Loubes, France

Michael Levy Gallery - Long Beach, CA

James Yaroush Gallery - New Jersey

Bellian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Stephanies Art Gallery - La Canada, CA

Belador Art Gallery - Beverly Hills, CA

Mooradian Fine Art - Los Angeles, CA

Leverisage Gallery - Carmel, CA

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Alegre, Brazil

Arame Art Gallery - Yerevan, Armenia

Lev Moros Gallery - Los Angeles, CA

International Fine Art Fair - San Francisco, CA

International Fine Art Fair - Pasadena, CA

2006

Museum Of Contemporary Art - Yerevan, Armenia

Museum of National Architecture and Urban Life - Gyumri, Armenia

Mooradian Fine Art - Los Angeles, CA

Lev Moros Gallery - Los Angeles, CA

Bellian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Tina Zapoli Galley - Porto Alegre, Brazil

Stephanies Art Gallery - La Canada, CA

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Michael Levy Gallery - Long Beach, CA

Bellador Gallery - Beverly Hills, CA

James Yaroush Gallery - New Jersey

Arame Art Gallery - Yerevan, Armenia

Leverisage Gallery - Carmel, CA

2005

Mooradian Fine Art - Los Angeles, CA

Gallery Vinizki - Munic, Germany

Levernisage Gallery - Carmel, CA

Arame Gallery - Yerevan, Armenia

Lev Moros Gallery - Los Angeles, CA

Roslin Galley - Glendale, CA

Michael Levy Gallery - Long Beach, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Stephanies Art Gallery - La Canada, CA

Jamas Yaroush Gallery - New Jersey

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Alegre, Brazil

2003

Forest Lawn Museum - Glendale, CA

Michael Levy Gallery - Long Beach

James Yaroush Gallery - New Jersey

Arame Art Gallery - Yerevan, Armenia

Art Territory - Los Angeles, CA

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Gallery Vinizki - Munic, Germany

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Stephanies Art Gallery - La Canada, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Museum of National Architecture & Urban Life - Gyumri, Armenia

Museum of Modern Art - Yerevan, Armenia

Florence Biennale - Florence, Italy

2002

Michael Levy Gallery - Long Beach

James Yaroush Gallery - New Jersey

Art Territory - Los Angeles, CA

Denise Roberge Gallery - Palm Desert, CA

Levernisage Gallery - Carmel, CA

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Stephanies Art Gallery - La Canada, CA

Gallery Vinizki - Munic, Germany

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

2001

Denise Roberge Gallery - Palm Desert, CA

Svit Ozor Fine Arts - Santa Barbara, CA

Galerie 224 - Laguna Beach, CA

Levernissage Gallery - Carmel, CA

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Fletcher Gallery - Woodstock, NY

Gallery Vinizki - Munic, Germany

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Palm Springs International Art Fair - Palm Springs, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Art Santa Fe 2001 - Santa Fe, NM

Brand Library and Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

L.A. International Art Fair - Los Angeles, CA

2000

Levernissage Gallery - Carmel, CA

Galerie 224 - Laguna Beach, CA

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Herbert Palmer Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

Fletcher Gallery - Woodstock, NY

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Palm Springs International Art Fair - Palm Springs, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Central Library and Art Center - Glendale, CA

Art Territory - Los Angeles, CA

Gallery Vinizki - Munic, Germany

1999

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Herbert Palmer Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Downey Museum of Art - Downey

Brand Library and Art Center - Glendale, CA

Fletcher Gallery - Woodstock, NY

Art Territory - Los Angeles, CA

Galerie 224 - Laguna Beach, CA

1998

Downey Museum of Art - Downey

Herbert Palmer Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Art Territory - Los Angeles, CA

Brand Library and Art Center - Glendale, CA

1997

Herbert Palmer Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

L.A. Central Library - Los Angeles, CA

Ashkenazy Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Igitian Modern Art Gallery - Las Vegas, NV

1996

Tina Zapoli Gallery - Porto Allegre, Brazil

Belian Art Center - Detroit, MI

Igitian Modern Art Gallery - Las Vegas, NV

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

Ashkenazy Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

1995

Roslin Art Gallery - Glendale, CA

C.F.M. Gallery - New York, NY

Morosstudio Art Gallery - Santa Monica, CA

1994

New Trend Art - Hong Kong

Lerner Gallery - Beverly Hills, CA

Rosovsky Gallery - Laguna Beach, CA

Morosstudio Art Gallery - Santa Monica, CA

C.F.M. Gallery - New York, NY

1993

Whitney Gallery - Palos Verdes, CA

Morosstudio Art Gallery - Santa Monica, CA

International Art Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

Rosovsky Gallery - Laguna Beach, CA

1992

Morosstudio Art Gallery - Santa Monica, CA

L.A. Art Associations - Los Angeles, CA

1991

Gallery Verona - Beverly Hills, CA

Morosstudio Art Gallery - Santa Monica, CA

L.A. Art Associations - Los Angeles, CA

1989

Kathleen Spiegleman Gallery - West Hollywood, CA

1986

AGBU Art Gallery - Los Angeles, CA

1985

Orosco Gallery - Hollywood, CA

1983

Wine Street Gallery - Hollywood, CA

1980

Olympic Art Festival - Moscow, Russia