Marc Balakjian

In Memory of an Historic Phrase

1975

Marc Balakjian was enigmatic in his subject matter creating images that are disturbing in their ambiguity. Armenian by descent, Balakjian was raised in Lebanon. Balakjian spent his early years in the small town of Rayak, before moving to Beirut at the age of 10. Balakjian came to England in 1966, initially to study architecture with a firm in Oxford. Balakjian then decided to study art at Hammersmith College of Art and took up a Postgraduate degree in printmaking at the Slade School of Art in 1971. After graduating, Balakjian began working at Studio Prints in 1973, just as it was establishing itself in Queen’s Crescent. By 1976, Balakjian had become a full-time partner, collaborating with other artists as well as continuing his work, much of which is inspired by his Armenian and Lebanese culture and heritage. By the 1980s work was falling off, so Balakjian and Studio Prints introduced in-house plate-making to serve painters and sculptors who had little experience with printmaking. Artists such as Leon Kossoff, Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud and Ken Kiff – all demanding characters – appreciated Balakjian's attention to detail and his ability to anticipate their thoughts and intentions. Balakjian printed the most technically difficult plates to produce excellent results.