Near the Opera house, in a small square where the statue of the world acclaimed painter Martiros Saryan is erected, contemporary Armenian artists and painters present their paintings to sell them and hear public opinion. On Saturdays and Sundays, this square turns into a real open-air gallery, into a real center of contemporary art and culture.

Here, in Vernissage, you can simply walk around and enjoy the paintings of modern painters. You can meet the painters themselves and comment about this or the other piece of art, buy a painting or simply order a new one: be it a portrait, a landscape or a still life.

The Vernissage came forth over 17 years ago, during the fall of the Soviet Union. It gained a large popularity among local community and guests of the metropolis. And because the Armenians are great masters of handcraft, soon they started to sell various souvenirs, wooden items, ceramics, scarves and tablecloths with needlework of national patterns etc. As a result, the square was too small for artists and their customers. And thus, Vernissage was divided into two parts: painters and artists were left in the little square of Martiros Saryan and the other masters of handcraft moved to the park near the Republic Square.