Simon Agopyan

Simon Agopyan (also Agopian or Hagopian; Samatya, Istanbul, 1857 - Istanbul, 1921) was a landscape and portrait painter of Armenian origin who worked in the Ottoman Empire. His work is a notable record of painting in Istanbul in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and he holds a prominent place among Armenian artists of his time.

He trained at Armenian schools in Istanbul and took private lessons from the painter Telemak Ekserciyan. He entered the Academy of Fine Arts in 1884 and graduated in 1888, the year he won first place for a large painting, The Imperial Gallery at Eminonu, which was later bought by the architect Alexander Vallaury. He studied alongside the painter Arshak Fetvadjian.

For years he combined painting with teaching at several schools in Üsküdar, Beyoğlu and Taksim. He worked first in Samatya and later in Beyoğlu, giving lessons to Ottoman princes and amateurs; one of his pupils was Vahram Manavyan. His subjects include portraits of sultans and public figures, scenes of Istanbul tradespeople, beggars and urban views, as well as religious themes such as the apostles Timothy and Parthugiemeos for the Surp Kevork Church in Samatya. He also painted a series of six scenes of the victories of Gazi Ahmed Muhtar Pasha on the Eastern Front, commissioned by the general's family.

His works survive in private collections and museums, and were exhibited in Istanbul and Marseille. He died in 1921 and is buried in the Armenian cemetery at Şişli.