A Small Retrospective Exhibition of Bella Berdzenishvili

Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery will host a small retrospective exhibition of works by Bella Berdzenishvili entitled “Forgotten Artists Who Created  Unforgettable Places  in Tbilisi.”

Bella Berdzenishvili’s (1929–2005) diverse artistic practice – encompassing easel painting, illustration, and monumental art represents an important contribution to Georgian art. At a time when the Soviet regime had artificially severed the authentic relationship between form and content, she succeeded in restoring the true resonance of Georgian national artistic form.

The still lifes created by Berdzenishvili in the 1960s reflect Georgia’s ethnographic culture. She is also known for her series of Svaneti landscapes and for her prolific work as a book illustrator. She illustrated Georgian folk tales and poetry, as well as the jubilee edition of The Martyrdom of Shushanik (1976). One of her most notable achievements in monumental art is the mural panel created for the Hotel Iveria in 1967.

The works of this Honoured Artist of Georgia are held in the collections of the Georgian National Museum, the Georgian State Museum of Literature,  and the Ambrolauri Museum, as well as in private collections around the world.

The exhibition will also include the launch of a catalogue devoted to Bella Berdzenishvili’s work. The catalogue project was realised with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, Creative Georgia and Creative Tbilisi. The publication will be available for purchase at the National Gallery shop.

Exhibition curator and book editor:  Alexandra Gabunia
Text by Nino Ghaghanidze