From October 5 to November 29, the Georgian National Gallery, is hosting two unique exhibitions, united under the title ‘Universal Values- Botticelli- Beauty, Caravaggio- Light’. The event is coordinated by the Italian Embassy in Georgia, and is the result of tight cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Ministry of Economic Development of Italy, Agency of Promoting Italian Companies Abroad (ICE) from the Italian side, and Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Georgian National Museum, Tourism National Administration and project of the Georgian government ‘Check in Georgia’ from the Georgian side.

The exhibition ‘Venus Pudica’ has been implemented with the cooperation of Turin Royal Museums and Cultural Association ‘Metamorphosis’. It presents Renaissance Era and Florence Humanist Sandro Boticelli’s ‘Venus,’ normally kept at the Turin Gallery Sabauda.

The second exhibition, initiated by Rai.Com, titled ‘Opera Omnia,’ features reproductions of the masterpieces of Caravaggio. It is a chronological, historic and thematic journey through the artworks of the most significant name of the Baroque era; a kind of imaginary museum where art and technologies, past and future meet in one and the same space. This exposition began its travels in 2003 and has had over 10 million viewers from Italy and abroad.

Davit Lortkipanidze, Director General of the Georgian National Museum, opened the event: “This is the project of the future. We are demonstrating to the rest of the world that Georgia deserves to be a host of the greatest art and is showing masterpieces to new generations who might otherwise only see it in textbooks”.

“I’m extremely happy that cultural relations are expanding between Italy and Georgia and that there has also been an unprecedented business forum in which 35 of the biggest Italian enterprises took part,” said Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia. “This exhibition will still be on when the international forum ‘One belt, One Road’ takes place late November, giving us the chance to show this exhibition to over 1000 businessmen”.

Ivan Scalfarotto, Italian Undersecretary for Economic Development, was at the opening.

“There are two questions: why is this event important for Italy and why is it important to Georgia?” Scalfarotto said. “We are, of course, proud to bring two geniuses to Georgia. Botticelli and Caravaggio are two Italian symbols of universal values. But they are very different. Botticelli is about grace, elegance and idealized beauty; Caravaggio is about realism, even violence, [about] dramatic contrast of light and dark. Humanism and innovation are in the core of their art. Botticelli is among the initiators of the Renaissance aiming to rediscover and reinterpret the values of ancient classics. Caravaggio, on the other hand, was the [representative] of another revolution- the beginning of the Baroque era. Caravaggio breaks the views of the previous centuries – the human person always at the center. I wish you an exciting journey into the world of beauty and light.”