Pioneering artist Petre Otskheli celebrated in illustrated German book
‘Winged Painter’, an iconic sketch by Otskheli, was selected for the cover of the book about the pioneering creative.
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A new illustrated book on Petre Otskheli, one of Georgia’s most notable avant-garde artists and a pioneering theatre designer, has been published in German to bring the story of the victim of political repressions to an audience outside his country.
Created in collaborative effort of author Kote Jandieri, historians Giorgi Kalandia and Wladimir Velminski and art critic Vadim Zakharov, Petre Otskheli — In Flames of Time packages biographical notes on the young creative with his colourful sketches.
Despite his early death, Otskheli's scenographic constructivism influenced the film and theater scene of the avant-garde.”
The mystery of the simplicity and monumentality of Otskheli's works lies in his references to nature as a source of further education,” authors say in their summary for the publisher.
Published by the Berlin-based ciconia ciconia publishing house, the book has over 100 illustrations and text by Jandieri, prefaced by an introduction from Kalandia, Zakharov and Velminski. The project for the book saw support from the Georgian National Book Centre.
Despite his short artistic career — terminated at the age of 29 — Otskheli is seen as a major figure of the 20th century Georgian Constructivist avant-garde movement.
He is also recognised as a founder of Georgian theatre design art, and for themes based on mythology and futurism holding prominent role in his works.
Collaborating with famous Georgian theatre director Kote Marjanishvili for designing local productions, Otskheli was also recognised internationally.
The 1939 International Exhibition of Stage Design in London granted him a gold medal posthumously, two years after he was executed by Soviet authorities during the 1937 Great Purge, on trumped-up charges of treason.
Otskheli’s works and facts about his life can be found in an online display at Google Art and Culture, a large online database bringing together collections from museums around the world.
The online platform created a profile page for the artist in collaboration with Tbilisi’s Art Palace Museum in 2016.
In the following year, the 110th birthday of the artist was marked by a restoration of 30 of Otskheli’s works, later presented at exhibitions and displayed at public spaces across Tbilisi.
The fascinating emergence of modernist art in Georgia 100 years ago will be celebrated and explored in a Swiss display involving artwork, film screenings and workshops later this year.
Newly restored and previously unseen works by Georgia’s widely acclaimed 20th century modernist artist Petre Otskheli will go on public display in Tbilisi next week.
Dozens of works by Georgia’s prominent 20th century avant-garde artist Petre Otskheli will be restored and preserved before going on display to celebrate an anniversary of his birth this year.
Names of the residents of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi who were killed or exiled during the 1937-38 Soviet repressions were read out loud in Tbilisi today. The victims of the Soviet regime were remembered in relation to the date (July 30, 1937) when the Soviet Union leadership issued decree N00447 on the detention and punishment of so-called “kulaks, criminals and anti-Soviet elements.”
History and art enthusiasts can now visit Tbilisi’s Museum of Georgia to discover the story of the country’s artists under Soviet repressions through works by painters, sculptors and designers that became victims of the regime.
Over 100 works by Georgia's celebrated 20th century avant-garde artist and stage designer Petre Otskheli have gone on first-ever display for residents of the western Georgian city of Zugdidi, with Tbilisi's Art Palace museum bringing exhibits from its collections to the Dadiani Palace venue.