Works by 20th century avant-garde artist, theatre designer Petre Otskheli in first exhibition in Georgia's west
Otskheli was among the pioneering Georgian avant-garde creatives of the 1920s and 1930s, creating designs for sets and costumes for fledgling Georgian professional theatre productions and films
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Over 100 works by Georgia's celebrated 20th century avant-garde artist and theatre designer Petre Otskheli have gone on a 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.
Marking 115 years since the birth of the young creative who, despite his age, became a notable figure among the avant-garde pioneers in the 1920s and 1930s, the exhibition brings theatre sets and costumes to the 19th century royal residence that joined the Network of European Royal Residences last year.
Art Palace said works for theatre productions ranging from Othello to Uriel Acosta, the selection exhibited in Zugdidi also shows oil paintings by Otskheli, while the opening event also unveiled a catalogue of the artist's works.
The exhibition brought to the Dadiani Palace had been displayed in Tbilisi and a number of European museums by Art Palace, which has also showcased Otskheli's works on the Google Arts & Culture platform.
The Zugdidi display brings over 100 works for theatre sets and costumes, as well as oil paintings, to the public in the western Georgian city for the first time. Photo via Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth
Despite his short artistic career - terminated under Stalinist repressions 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 during the 1937 Great Purge, on trumped-up charges of treason.
In 2017, 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.
In Zugdidi, the exhibition of the artist's works will host visitors through September 10.
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.
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.
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.
Hundreds of works by avant-garde artists, from one of the most exciting era of Tbilisi as a melting pot of creatives in the early decades of the 20th century, will go on show at the capital city's National Gallery starting this Friday, showcasing the likes of Kirill Zdanevich, Elene Akhvlediani, David Kakabadze and Petre Otskheli.
The western Georgian city of Zugdidi has received an European Union grant of €300,000 to prepare a five-year cultural development strategy, the EU Delegation to Georgia announced on Tuesday.