Must-See Show by the Immortal Sergo Kobuladze
Iam from Rustaveli’s Country –is the title of the exceptional, unmissable exhibition of one of the most illustrious illustrators and painters of Georgia, Sergo Kobuladze.
The T.G. Nili Art Space invites all to see the prints in focus, as well as reproductions, the originals of which are kept at the Tretyakov Picture Gallery, Moscow.
Born in 1909, Sergo Kobuladze is considered one of the founders of Georgian Fine Art, making this a real must-see exhibition for Georgians as well as foreigners, equally interesting for professional artists, collectors, and art admirers.
For years, the research object for Sergo Kobuladze was the compositional layering system of fine art and architecture on the basis on ancient artworks of the pre-Hellenic era, with the painter analyzing the proportions of ancient Greek sculpture. The exhibition displays two graphic works created on these foundations, alongside eight unique illustrations which Kobuladze made for the epic poem, ‘The Knight in Panther’s Skin’.
“He learned sculpture thoroughly, penetrating into the depths of architecture and pre-Hellenistic art,” Tea Goguadze, curator of the gallery, said of Kobuladze. “He worked for years on the technologies of construction of compositions. Two unique examples of such works are these two [digital] prints- limited edition reproductions of the original works which are both rare and unique. We’ve been able to partner with Sergo Kobuladze’s family and obtain permission and their approval to publish and show these prints for the very first time”.
“People are familiar with Sergo Kobuladze because he is famous for the illustrations he made for Knight in Panther’s Skin,” Alex Diasamidze, director of T.G. Nili Art Space, told GEORGIA TODAY. “This exhibition shows the unique side of the artist, which actually fits very well with the concept of our gallery, because it is a hybrid gallery in the sense that we focus on original works but also on limited edition fine art prints. Thus, we try to make fine art accessible for the middle class and also to the younger generation. It is specifically interesting for collectors. In this case, we often try to reveal the lesser known side of artists”.
Notably enough, the two digital prints on focus are for sale, whilst the other reproductions of originals kept at Tretyakov Picture Gallery, Moscow, are being exhibited for display purposes only. The images of Rostevan, Tinatin, Nestan-Darejan and Tariel, created at the beginning of the 20th century, are vivid in color and impressive in shape and size.
We asked Alex about the exhibition name. “We opened the exhibition on May 26, Georgian Independence Day. This year, its theme was specifically that, i.e. ‘I’m from Rustaveli’s Country’. Within the scope of some of the other activities, including those of the Ministry of Culture, we decided to exhibit Sergo Kobuladze, who is really famous for his illustrations of our great poem. In general, we want to help Georgian artists as we believe that they deserve more spotlight on the international art scene”.
The exposition also showcases the working process: how the great maestro dealt with body, proportions, etc. At the very end, there is a photograph of the model, which shows how the work came to be, as well as two fusion pictures by a modern painter.
T.B. Nili Gallery displays the works of many emerging artists, as well as already famous contemporary painters like Mirian Shvelidze and Rusudan Petviashvili. It is an art space for the future. For more information, visit: tgnili.com
WHERE: Grishashvili 12
WHEN: Until the end of June
OPEN: 12 to 6 pm, daily except Monday and Wednesday
TICKET: FREE
Maka Lomadze