Description of the attraction
The State Museum of Art of Georgia is one of the cultural and architectural attractions of the city of Tbilisi. The building of the museum is a building of the beginning of the XIX century, located not far from the Freedom Square, the Museum of Art of Georgia, which is one of the largest museums in the country, has been housing its collections for more than half a century. The museum's funds include about 140 thousand works of Georgian, European and Oriental art.
The history of the Tbilisi Museum began in 1920, when several young artists founded the National Art Gallery, which became the predecessor of this museum. The grand opening of the Central Museum of Fine Arts took place in August 1923. The museum has repeatedly changed its location and was housed in a church for some time, thanks to which all its collections remained intact even in the most difficult times for the country.
In 1950, the museum was finally moved to the building of the former seminary, and it was then that it received its modern name. The museum is named after Shalva Amiranashvili, who was its leader for 30 years. Part of the exhibits of the Georgian Art Museum were received from European countries, and the other part was donated by private collectors.
The collection of cloisonné enamels, which includes almost a third of all enamels in the world, is very popular with tourists. Most of them are dated X-XII centuries. Particularly noteworthy are samples of medieval coinage of the 8th-13th centuries, for example, the golden cup of the Georgian king Bagrat III and the golden breast cross that belonged to Queen Tamara herself. Another treasure is written in the VI Art. Anchian icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
The collection of fine art consists of works by Repin, Serov, Aivazovsky, Vasnetsov, Surikov and others. The basis of the museum is Georgian painting, covering the entire period of the artistic culture of the Georgian people. In addition to exhibits related to Georgian culture, you can also see the most interesting works of oriental art here, for example, valuable Persian carpets, Turkish and Indian shawls.
