Picasso, Kandinsky among iconic painters in first Tbilisi display

Paintings created over the last two centuries by some of world’s most famous artists will be exhibited in a special display launching in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi tomorrow.

The Art Palace museum venue will invite visitors to view works by six painters including Cubism founder Pablo Picasso, Russian expressionist and abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky and the Georgian Realist school pioneer Gigo Gabashvili.

A work by Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky. Photo: Art Palace.

The exhibits will include a 1965 portrait sketch by Picasso, a composition of geometric figures by Kandinsky and three works illustrating Gabashvili’s impressions from his 1894 travels in Central Asia.

In total, the month-long event will bring together eight works from United States-based Georgian collector David Kobakhidze’s personal collection.

Art by French painter Maximilien Luce will be viewed by art enthusiasts in Georgia for the first time. Photo: Art Palace.

The other names going on display include Franz Roubaud, who created some of his memorable paintings during travels through the Caucasus in the late-19th, early-20th centuries and French neo-impressionist Maximilien Luce.

Purchased by the Georgian collector at famous international auctions including the Sotheby’s, the exhibits will be displayed in Georgia for the first time. Organisers from Art Palace said the exhibition was made possible following a personal initiative by Kobakhidze.