If there's one Georgian artist everyone knows, it's Niko Pirosmani. His simple yet strikingly expressive paintings of feasts, animals and scenes from old Tiflis have become a symbol of Georgian art. Here's an introduction to Pirosmani, other important artists and where to see their work.

Who was Pirosmani

Niko Pirosmanashvili (Pirosmani) was born in 1862 in the village of Mirzaani in Kakheti to a poor peasant family. Orphaned young, he worked as a servant before moving to Tiflis. He had no art training — he was self-taught.

Pirosmani earned a living painting signs for dukhans (taverns) and shops, as well as pictures hung in these establishments. He often painted on black oilcloth, using its dark ground as part of the image. He was paid in food, wine and small sums.

Discovery and a tragic fate

In 1912 his work was noticed by young artists and poets — the Zdanevich brothers and Mikhail Le-Dantu — who saw great art in his paintings and began collecting and promoting them. Pirosmani's pictures were even exhibited in Moscow.

But recognition came too late. He lived in poverty and died in 1918 in Tiflis, destitute. His burial place is not known for certain.

Today Pirosmani is regarded as one of Georgia's foremost artists, and his paintings are a national treasure.

What Pirosmani painted

  • Feasts — people at long tables, a tamada, a horn of wine;
  • animals — a giraffe, deer, bears, bulls, donkeys — with strikingly human eyes;
  • portraits of merchants, fishermen and street sweepers;
  • still lifes with wine, bread, fish and fruit;
  • scenes of life — celebrations, the harvest, the village.

His style is naïve art (primitivism): flat figures, bright colours on a dark ground, simplicity and deep sincerity.

The legend of a million roses

A famous story says Pirosmani fell in love with a French actress, Margarita, touring Tiflis, and once filled the square outside her home with flowers. The story's truth is disputed, but the legend inspired a popular song about "a million scarlet roses". Pirosmani also painted a portrait titled "Actress Margarita".

Where to see Pirosmani's work

  • The National Gallery (Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery) on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, part of the Georgian National Museum, holds one of the largest Pirosmani collections, along with works by other Georgian artists.
  • The Pirosmani House-Museum in Mirzaani (Kakheti) — a small museum in the artist's home village telling his life story; easy to combine with Sighnaghi.
  • Sighnaghi — the local museum sometimes displays Pirosmani's work too.

Tip: check which halls are open before you go — exhibitions change periodically.

Other 20th-century Georgian artists

  • Lado Gudiashvili (1896–1980) — refined, fantastical paintings of old Tiflis and mythological themes; also known for murals.
  • David Kakabadze (1889–1952) — a modernist and experimenter, known for his Imereti landscapes.
  • Elene Akhvlediani (1901–1975) — views of old Tbilisi and theatre designs.
  • Shalva Kikodze, Sergo Kobuladze and others — masters of various movements.

Their work can also be seen at the National Gallery and other Tbilisi museums.

Contemporary art

Tbilisi today has a lively art scene:

  • contemporary galleries in the centre and in Sololaki, Vake and Vera;
  • Fabrika and other creative spaces with exhibitions and street art;
  • street art — graffiti and murals across the city;
  • the Dry Bridge market, where local artists sell paintings, including Pirosmani-style works.

Pirosmani in everyday life

You'll see Pirosmani's imagery everywhere: on restaurant signs, wine labels, souvenirs and in interiors. Many Tbilisi taverns are decorated "à la Pirosmani", with copies of his feasts on the walls.

Building a route

  • Tbilisi: the National Gallery on Rustaveli (1.5–2 hours) → a walk around Sololaki → the Dry Bridge (contemporary paintings).
  • Kakheti: Sighnaghi → Mirzaani (Pirosmani House-Museum) → wineries.

In short

Niko Pirosmani — a self-taught painter of signs for Tiflis taverns who died in poverty — is now the symbol of Georgian art. See his feasts and animals at the National Gallery on Rustaveli Avenue, visit his home village of Mirzaani, and discover Gudiashvili, Kakabadze and Tbilisi's contemporary art scene. It's the best way to understand Georgia's soul through art.