PM meets Georgian sculptor of iconic poem cover presented to UN
Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday met Gouji Amashukeli, a recognised French-based Georgian sculptor. Photo: government of Georgia press office
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Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday met Gouji Amashukeli, a recognised French-based Georgian sculptor and goldsmith who decorated a cover for Georgia’s 12th century national epic The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, an edition presented to the United Nations last year.
The government administration said elements created by Amashukeli in his works were “unique” and were “never repeated” in designs, with the specific cover for the poem made from silver and more than 20 types of precious stones including pieces of a meteorite.
A historic moment at t/????????! ????????PM @GharibashviliGe has presented unique, handwritten& specifically ornate 'Knight in the Panther Skin' to @UN art collection. Proud that ????????'s literary masterpiece& a symbol of our country's most cherished values is to embellish t/UN HQ! Congrats, ????????! pic.twitter.com/2TrYMhvQRS
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) September 23, 2021
The present is now located on the second floor of the UN headquarters in New York, close to the venue hosting meetings of the organisation’s Security Council.
The PM has told Amashukeli that it was big honour for him to meet him, while Amashukeli stating that it was his first visit to Georgia after many years abroad. Video: government of Georgia press office.
Statues, symbolic products, medallions, jewellery, gold and silver items produced by Amashukeli through works on mythological and religious themes are preserved at museum venues and galleries as well as in private collections internationally, including the museums of the Vatican, Louvre, Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris and Lyon.
Aged 81, Amashukeli was born in the central Georgian city of Borjomi and has been based in France since 1974.