In 1982, the statue “Glory to Labor” or as the locals call it “The Worker’s Monument”, was installed in the square near “Gortsaranayin” station of the Yerevan Metro. This statue symbolized the working man and had no connection to communist ideology. It represented an Armenian worker walking toward Western Armenia, gazing at Mount Ararat. The statue was made of a 11-meter cast iron structure.
It was one of Ara Harutyunyan’s last and most renowned works. Creating the statue was a challenging process due to complexities in assembly, material and other technical difficulties.
Legends Surrounding the Worker’s Monument
The sculptor’s son, Aram Harutyunyan, mentions that many people still believe the worker held a hammer in one hand and the newspaper “Pravda” in the other. In fact, the casting of such an object in iron would have been impossible. In reality, the statue stood empty-handed, as preserved in photographs.
Another popular legend claims that during the unveiling ceremony, the statue displeased First Secretary of the Central Committee Karen Demirchyan, who remarked, “What ugliness is this?” In reality, all monumental sculptures in Soviet Armenia were executed under the direct supervision of the Central Committee and the First Secretary. The statue’s partially formalist style was initially met with skepticism by the uninformed Soviet-Armenian public. Yet, over time, it became a beloved city symbol.
The Monument’s Demolition
In 1997, the statue was topped overnight. During a broadcast on the “3rd Channel,” a journalist asked a representative of the Yerevan Municipality about the city’s position on the removal of the statue. The official replied that the Municipality considers the “Worker’s Statue” to be a cultural asset, like a ten-meter-long well-hewn sidewalk stone, and treats its fate accordingly.
The Statue in Fragments
In 2004, seven years after the statue’s disappearance, Talin Grigoryan and a friend began searching for it. They discovered it at a factory in Shengavit. However, under unknown circumstances, the statue’s parts were later moved to private property, and some pieces were lost before they arrived. Missing elements include one leg, the front torso, and an arm. The remains are the head, hands, fist, feet, shoes, and the back of the torso, all separate.
The Statue in the National Gallery of Armenia
In 2022, the National Gallery of Armenia held an exhibition titled “Worker’s Statue: Post Scriptum.” For the first time in 25 years, the statue’s head and fist were publicly displayed. Exhibition curator Mariam Davtyan emphasized that the primary goal was to highlight an act of cultural vandalism.
The Monument’s Revival
In late 2023, Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports announced a decision to reinstall Ara Harutyunyan’s “Glory to Labor” (Worker’s Statue) in Yerevan’s Labor Square. The installation will reflect part of history, and modern technologies will provide an idea of what the statue looked like back in time and how well it has been preserved.
