Growing up in Soviet Armenia, Arbe (Ara Berberyan) was son of a well-known artist and professor of art & design.

Arbe received his Masters degree from the University of Art and Design in Yerevan, Armenia in 1981. While he was there, it was difficult to find books on the western artists he loved. However, he managed to find books on his favorite inspirations: Dalí, Picasso, Titian, Rembrandt, and especially Klimt.

As a scholar of art and design, books on Klimt particularly motivated Arbe. He earned a Master's Degree in 1981 and quickly began his career as a fine artist by accepting government commissions for murals at the Yerevan Airport, theaters, hotels and other government projects. Always working with his hands, whether in carpentry, painting, or graphic arts, Arbe always steadily improved and expanded his artistic talent, eventually able to devote his time to the creation of fine art. Today he is married with two children and based mainly in California, Arbe’s creation process is quite fascinating. He starts loosely sketching without any intent or design while listing to the works of Mozart, Verdi, Bach, and other various classical musicians. He will move on with the work based on his mood, often switching back and forth from piece to piece based on how he is feeling.