Sergei Parajanov Museum

Sergei Parajanov was one of the great visual poets of world cinema, the director of The Color of Pomegranates and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, and also a prolific artist who made collages, assemblages, dolls and drawings, even during years of imprisonment. His museum in Yerevan gathers about seventeen hundred of his works and objects, with several hundred on permanent display across eight halls. The rooms cover his biography and early work, his dolls and collages, his film sketches and props, and the pieces he made in prison, plus two memorial rooms, a bedroom and a dining room, rebuilt with items from his home in Tbilisi. The collection is colourful, witty and sometimes sorrowful, and it is the kind of museum that makes you look at everyday objects differently. The museum's own site gives daily daytime hours, ticket information and a guided excursion service that should be booked in advance, with tours offered in Armenian and several other languages. It is not a long visit, which makes it a perfect companion to a day on the Cascade and Republic Square.

Even if you have not seen his films, the museum works on its own. The pieces are built from ordinary materials, fabric, lace, buttons, bottles, photographs and found objects, and assembled with a sense of theatre that echoes the director's film style. The dolls and collages are the highlights for most visitors, and the prison-period room is moving because of how much beauty was made under such conditions. The memorial rooms add the personal side, with furniture and objects arranged as if the artist might walk in.

A guided visit adds a great deal. The staff can explain the symbols, the film connections and the story behind particular works, and because the museum is compact, the tour is intimate. The museum site notes that excursions should be booked ahead and are offered in several languages, so contact them before you go if you want a guide in English. If you prefer to go alone, the displays are visual and easy to enjoy without detailed knowledge, and a slow loop takes about an hour.

Plan around the schedule on the museum's site, which lists daily opening in the daytime, and allow a little extra time for photography rules and cloakroom use. The museum sits in a central, walkable area near the city's other cultural sights, so it combines easily with a Matenadaran morning or a Cascade afternoon.

It is a good wet-weather option, a calm break between bigger excursions and a nice choice for couples and for anyone interested in cinema. Children who like colour and craft will enjoy the dolls and collages, though the subject matter makes it a better fit for older children and adults.