“On January 9 … arrived Mikhail Vartanov, (Parajanov‘s) most devoted friend…an amazing man…gave an amazing speech…”
— Gayane Khachaturian
The painter Gayane Khachaturian (1942-2009) was discovered by Sergei Parajanov, and she always credited him for that. The above quote is from Gayane Khachatrian’s “Story of the Last Voyage” which includes her recollection of the last birthday of Sergei Parajanov on January 9, 1990. Yuri Mechitov in his great photography book Sergei Parajanov: The Chronicle of the Dialogue, on pages 440-441, captured this celebration including that moment when Vartanov gave the speech which Gayane Khachatryan recalls (above).
Six months later, in July 1990, when Parajanov passed away at age 66, Gayane Khachaturian appeared in Mikhail Vartanov’s Parajanov: The Last Spring. When Gayane passed away in 2009, she was also 66. Vartanov passed away that same year.
“9 января … приехал Миша Вартанов, самый преданный человек. Дивный человек… Вартанов дивную речь сказал…”
— Гаянэ Хачатрян
(Gayane Khachatryan, Գայանե Խաչատրյան)
Parajanov-Vartanov Institute 
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