An upcoming display of late painter Merab Abramishvili will celebrate the Georgian creative whose work has been recognised at top international art auctions at the National Archives of Georgia next week.
Organisers will bring up to 50 works in painting and drawing, including the first display of a sketch for the late artist’s piece Paris, to the Exhibition Pavilion of the Tbilisi archive.
The solo exhibition is seen as a celebration of “one of the standout representatives of modern Georgian art”, as Abramishvili is referred to in a preview of the event.
The artist was recognised for his usage of the tempera painting method on canvas, a trademark style of for creating works resembling medieval frescoes in colour and texture.
Merab Abramishvili, ‘Black Leopard’, 2005. Photo: National Archives of Georgia.
Born in Georgia in 1957, Abramishvili attended classes at the art studio of Georgian painter and graphical artist Alexander Bandzeladze between 1972-1976 before he graduated from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts in 1981.
His works found recognition in Georgia and abroad since the 1990s, as well as at the Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctions in recent years.
Abramishvili was featured in a 2014 Sotheby’s display At The Crossroads 2: Contemporary Art from Istanbul to Kabul. His works also sold at both art sale events in 2016.
Beside his creative work, the artist also taught painting and was member of the Union of Painters of Georgia until his unexpected death in 2006.
The selected works will take up the space of the archive venue’s recently launched exhibition pavilion. Photo: National Archives of Georgia.
Venues that featured the painter in exhibitions include the Artforum Gallery in Hannover, Zeidel Gallery in Cologne and TMS and Baia galleries in Tbilisi.
Some of Abramishvili’s paintings are preserved at the Georgian National Museum as well as at venues and private collections in Germany, the United States, Finland and beyond.
The National Archives display opens at 1, Vazha-Pshavela Avenue on March 25.