On Thursday, August 22, 2024, members of Haigazian University’s faculty, administration, and staff gathered at the Derian Armenological Library to honor the memory of renowned Lebanese Armenian caricaturist Diran Adjemian (1903-1991). Adjemian was an active figure in the Lebanese Armenian theater of the 1920s and 1930s and played a crucial role in supporting Parsegh Ganachian’s musical endeavors. Moreover, his prominence grew during World War II, when his caricatures, published in French Lebanese newspapers, captured the war conditions and developments on the frontlines. Adjemian is also remembered for his illustrations of the famous Kach Nazar satirical story and the creation of notable Lebanese Arab popular figures.
During the gathering, his daughter, Dr. Sylvia Adjemian, donated three of Diran’s caricatures and a watercolor painting of Lebanese-French-Armenian painter Serge Shart (1927-2011) to the Derian Library, further enriching the University’s collection of works by Armenian painters.