Famous Georgian artist Petre Otskheli’s restorated works are being showcased at TBC Gallery, (7 Marjansihvili Str., Tbilisi) to mark the 110th anniversary of one of Georgia’s most acclaimed artists.

The exhibition showcases 30 of Otskheli’s masterpieces, most of them to be exhibited for the first time.

TBC Bank supported the restoration of Otskheli’s works, which are kept in the funds of the Art Palace museum (Georgian State Museum of Theatre, Music, Film and Choreography).  

Petre Otskheli is often regarded as one the founders of Georgian modernism. A set and costume designer, Otskheli famously worked with Kote Mardjanishvili, prominent Georgian theater director, in the 1920s-30s, alongside other well-known Georgian theater directors of the time.  

Otskheli was arrested and killed in the 'great purge' of 1937. His works later regained acclaim, with numerous publications, catalogues and scientific works having since been dedicated to his art.

Otskheli is also among the first Georgian artists whose works are displayed on the Google Culture Institute virtual exhibition. 

“Georgian modernist set and costume designer Petre Otskheli was undoubtedly an outstanding professional of his time," the text on Google Culture Institute’s site reads. "A great deal of his drawings were created for stage productions but the sophisticated nature of his sketches effortlessly turns them into autonomous masterpieces of graphic arts, imbued with independent aesthetic value. It can be safely said that, in his art, Petre was ahead of his time and, if young Georgian artists eventually stopped alienating themselves from abstract language of expression in art, it was thanks to such artists as Petre Otskheli.”

If you’re interested in experiencing some of the finest art Georgia has produced, head over to TBC ART Gallery this week!