Presentation of Painter Ucha Japaridze's Album

On January 18, at the Georgian Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection, the presentation of an album titled “The Life and Death of Ucha Japaridze” was held.

All the creative works of the artist can be enjoyed in the bi-lingual album, which was authored by critic and Doctor of Sciences and Philosophy, Davit Andriadze. The book is intended for researchers and all those interested in Georgian Fine Arts.

The presentation was led by painter and Advisor to the Minister of Culture, Giorgi Gegechkori, alongside Andriadze and Ketevan Korzakhia.

“In August, 2016, it would have been the 110th birthday of Ucha Japaridze. His namesake album is dedicated exactly to this anniversary and was initiated by the foundation ‘Art- Caucasus’,” Andriadze said.

“Ucha Japaridze was a distinguished artist who endured many challenges,” Gegechkori said. “I’m very happy that this book has been published, even more so as Japaridze was my lecturer. He painted portraits, monumental compositions, and drew numerous graphic works. I’m pleased the Ministry of Culture is so actively involved in popularizing his works and more than 40 albums have been published within the past four years.”

“The task was not an easy one,” Andriadze said of writing the text. “Ucha Japaridze is not a painter to take lightly- he was a great painter and a person of rare scope. Monographs alone are uninteresting for me but writing the biography of Japaridze has been a joy. Ucha Japaridze’s social realism requires the right understanding from a philosophical, social and critical modern art point of view.”

Maka Lomadze