Nugzar Medzmariashvili (b. 1945) is a Georgian painter, graphic artist, and one of the leading figures in Georgian monumental art of the 1970s and 1980s. His works have left a lasting mark on Tbilisi’s architectural and public spaces, becoming part of the city’s visual identity.
Medzmariashvili’s practice spans a wide range of techniques and media, from mosaic, encaustic painting, and printmaking to contemporary digital art.
One of his best-known works dates from the very beginning of his career: the mosaic panel Prometheus. Originally conceived as his graduation project at the Faculty of Applied Arts of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, where he studied artistic ceramics, the Academy Council later presented the design to the architects of the Fundamental Library of the Georgian Academy of Sciences for installation in the library’s reading room. Completed in 1970, the mosaic remains in its original setting and is regarded as an important example of monumental art in Tbilisi.
Another notable work is Victory, an encaustic panel created for the Karishkhala Sports Complex. The building’s reconstruction destroyed the work. Medzmariashvili also produced numerous panels and decorative compositions in Georgia—including Night, a tapestry commissioned for a resort complex in Bichvinta, as well as works for cities across the former Soviet Union.
Medzmariashvili’s oeuvre also includes a work on a religious theme: a mosaic of the Virgin Mary, created in 2002 for the sacred spring at the Bodbe Convent of St Nino. Here, the artist adapted his experience in monumental art to the aesthetic and spiritual demands of a sacred setting.
Medzmariashvili was also among the first Georgian artists to embrace digital media. Works produced through digital techniques now form a significant part of his practice, reflecting his sustained interest in the creative possibilities offered by new technologies.
He became a member of the Artists’ Union of Georgia in 1971 and served as its secretary from 1982 to 1987. Alongside his artistic career, Medzmariashvili taught at the Faculty of Monumental Painting of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. From 1987 to 1989, he served as the Academy’s Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs.
For many years, Medzmariashvili participated in group exhibitions at the republican, All-Union, and international levels. His solo exhibitions have been held in Moscow and Tbilisi. In 2026, the Georgian National Gallery presented a solo exhibition bringing together works from different periods of his career and highlighting the breadth of his artistic practice.
In 1982, Medzmariashvili was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Georgia. His career spans the legacy of Soviet-era Georgian monumental art, the changing artistic media of the post-Soviet period, and the emergence of digital art. His works in Tbilisi are now an integral part of the city’s monumental heritage.
