This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Chahine, the greatest engraving master, a famous Franco-Armenian artist, and a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. The great artist's work is one of the significant phenomena of Armenian culture and European fine art of the early 20th century. He was one of the great artists and an honorary citizen of Venice. Chahine also worked in the field of book illustration, illustrating Anatole France's Comic History, Gustave Flaubert's November, Gabriel Mouret's People at the Paris Fair (140 etchings), Maurice Barres's The Death of Venice, Virgil's works (together with Tigran Polat and 15 other artists) and other books.

With the direct mediation of Arshak Chopanyan, the artist's works became available to Armenian art lovers, and his works were published in the magazines "Anahit", "Geguni", "Bazmavep", "Gegaruest" and others.Shahin was acquainted with Grigor Zohrap, Daniel Varuzhan, Siamanto, Ghevond Alishan, Komitas, and many famous Armenian artists of that time.

Edgar Shahin's works are kept in the National Library of Paris, the City Museum of Venice, the National Gallery of Armenia (more than 300 works), the Hermitage, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, and museums of other European countries.