Tbilisi exhibition honours famous Georgian aircraft designer

An exhibition honouring the life and career of Georgia’s legendary aircraft designer, the late Alexander Kartveli, is the final instalment of the Caucasus region’s first ever International Week of Science and Innovation.

Tuesday, November 17 marks the conclusion of the inaugural International Week of Science and Innovation and the opening of the Alexander Kartveli exhibition at the Museum of Georgia, which will remain open to the public until mid-next year.

The Kartveli exhibition will see the Museum open up its space for aircraft mock-ups, sketches and drawings created by Kartveli. The collection will also exhibit archived documents, articles, photographs and multimedia presentations related to the designer, who was regarded by world experts and historians as a "pioneer of the American aviation” industry.

The exhibited material will encompass 50 years of his creative work that spawned some of the most iconic aircrafts of the 20^thCentury including the World War II-winning P-47 Thunderbolt that became famous for its wartime service for the United States Army Air Force (USAAF, later renamed United States Air Force).

The P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft was recognised for its sturdy design that saved the lives of many allied pilots during World War II. Photo by Mike Freer.

Born in 1896 in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, Kartveli emigrated from Georgia after the Soviet takeover in 1921 and worked first in Europe and then in the US at the Republic Aviation company. During his career he also worked for NASA.

Information on his work for the American Air Force was strictly confidential during the Cold War. The public first became aware about Kartveli’s contribution to the allied victory in World War II, as well as his pioneering aircraft and space projects, only after the conflict ended when archives relating to his life and work were opened.

The Georgian designer’s work in the US gained increased public attention in Georgia in recent years. Georgia’s Ministry of Defence held several formal events marking his legacy, including in the context of Georgian-American relations.

The Kartveli exhibition will remain open to visitors at the Museum of Georgia until May 1 next year.