Nouritza Matossian
Nouritza Matossian is a writer, actress, broadcaster and human rights activist. She writes on the arts, contemporary music, history and Armenia.
Matossian published the first biography and critical study of the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, the source book on his life, architecture and music based on ten years collaboration with him. She adapted it into a 50 min documentary for BBC2, ‘Something Rich and Strange’.
She published the first ground-breaking biography, Black Angel, A Life of Arshile Gorky in 1998. Her twenty years’ research and travels in Armenia, have brought her closer to her own roots through the mysterious life of the Armenian American artist.
Ararat, the award-winning film by Atom Egoyan and Miramax, was inspired by her biography, Black Angel. She acted as consultant to Egoyan who modelled the female lead role Ani on her.
Nouritza Matossian wrote and performs a solo show on Gorky’s life from the viewpoint of his four beloved women with images and music. It has been produced world wide over 80 times at the Barbican, Tate Modern, London, New York, Los Angeles, the Edinburgh Festival, Cyprus, Paris, Lebanon, Iran, Romania and Georgia. In Armenia she performed it simultaneously in two languages.
Nouritza Matossian broadcasts on the BBC and contributes to newspapers and magazines: The Independent, The Guardian, The Economist, The Observer.
She was Honorary Cultural Attache for the Armenian Embassy in London from 1991-2000.
She spent her childhood in Cyprus with her Armenian family. Educated in England, she graduated with Honours in Philosophy, (B.Phil) then studied music, theatre and mime in Dartington and Paris. She has a command of nine languages.
Monographs : Iannis Xenakis Fayard, Paris,1981; Xenakis, Kahn & Averill, London 1985, 1991, paperback; Pro Am, NY. Xenakis, Moufflon Publications, Cyprus, 2005
Black Angel, A Life of Arshile Gorky
Chatto & Windus, Random House, 1998; Pimlico, UK, 2001, paperback
The Overlook Press, N.Y. 2002, paperback
TV, Theatre, Exhibitions :
Something Rich and Strange
50 min documentary on Iannis Xenakis BBC , 1991
 Matossian at the Premiere of Ararat, Cannes Film Festival 2004 |
 Matossian performing Black Angel: A Life of Arshile Gorky |
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Nouritza Matossian is a writer, actress, broadcaster and human rights activist. She writes on the arts, contemporary music, history and Armenia.
Matossian published the first biography and critical study of the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, the source book on his life, architecture and music based on ten years collaboration with him. She adapted it into a 50 min documentary for BBC2, ‘Something Rich and Strange’.
 Matossian & Xenakis at Donaueschinger Musiktage 1985 |
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She published the first ground-breaking biography, Black Angel, A Life of Arshile Gorky in 1998. Her twenty years’ research and travels in Armenia, have brought her closer to her own roots through the mysterious life of the Armenian American artist.
Ararat, the award-winning film by Atom Egoyan and Miramax, was inspired by her biography, Black Angel. She acted as consultant to Egoyan who modelled the female lead role Ani on her.
 Atom Egoyan, Nouritza Matossian, Simon Abkarian |
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Nouritza Matossian wrote and performs a solo show on Gorky’s life from the viewpoint of his four beloved women with images and music. It has been produced world wide over 80 times at the Barbican, Tate Modern, London, New York, Los Angeles, the Edinburgh Festival, Cyprus, Paris, Lebanon, Iran, Romania and Georgia. In Armenia she performed it simultaneously in two languages.
Nouritza Matossian broadcasts on the BBC and contributes to newspapers and magazines: The Independent, The Guardian, The Economist, The Observer.
She was Honorary Cultural Attache for the Armenian Embassy in London from 1991-2000.
She spent her childhood in Cyprus with her Armenian family. Educated in England, she graduated with Honours in Philosophy, (B.Phil) then studied music, theatre and mime in Dartington and Paris. She has a command of nine languages.
Monographs : Iannis Xenakis Fayard, Paris,1981; Xenakis, Kahn & Averill, London 1985, 1991, paperback; Pro Am, NY. Xenakis, Moufflon Publications, Cyprus, 2005
Black Angel, A Life of Arshile Gorky
Chatto & Windus, Random House, 1998; Pimlico, UK, 2001, paperback
The Overlook Press, N.Y. 2002, paperback
TV, Theatre, Exhibitions :
Something Rich and Strange
50 min documentary on Iannis Xenakis BBC , 1991
Devised, interviewed and co-produced
Feature Film: Ararat , consultant to director Atom Egoyan, credit for Black Angel and character of Ani.
Theatre: Black Angel, The Double Life of Arshile Gorky
Solo performance based on her biography
Exhibition: Making the Book, Brighton University, Edinburgh Arts Club, Magdalen College, Oxford.
