Artsakh girl's painting sells for $1,800 after school controversy

A painting by a 10-year-old girl from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) that sparked controversy after being removed from a school exhibition in Yerevan has been sold at auction for $1,800.

The auction concluded at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, with the winning bid placed by Gayane Aghabekyan, an Artsakh native living in Moscow, according to public figure Vardan Hakobyan, who organized the auction.

Hakobyan told Aravot.am that he has already shared the contact details of the buyer and the girl's parent so they can arrange payment and delivery of the painting.

The artwork became the focus of public attention after it was removed from an exhibition and competition at the Anushavan Ter-Ghevondyan Music School in Yerevan. The school's acting principal reportedly described the painting as an "anti-state" work.

The painting depicts the We Are Our Mountains monument, widely known as Tatik-Papik (Grandma and Grandpa), a landmark in Stepanakert and one of the best-known symbols of Artsakh.

The acting principal later said the painting had been removed solely because it had been displayed without prior approval from the school administration, citing a violation of internal procedures.

The Center for the Preservation of Artsakh Culture NGO disputed that explanation, saying the work matched the exhibition's theme and was the only artwork depicting an Artsakh landmark to be removed, raising questions about the true motive behind the decision.

The organization also criticized the principal's official statement for referring to the monument as an image of the "grandma and grandpa" rather than using its official name, We Are Our Mountains, arguing that the wording was unlikely to be accidental in an official statement issued by the head of an educational institution.

According to the NGO, the student's teacher later resigned in protest over the incident.