Art Museum of Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia

The Art Museum of Georgia (AMG) is one of the leading museums in the country of Georgia. It has around 140,000 items of Georgian, Oriental, Russian, and other European art.

A predecessor of the present-day museum, the National Art Gallery, was opened through the efforts of Western-educated young Georgian artists in Tbilisi in 1920. Out of it grew the Central Museum of Fine Arts, which was opened in Tbilisi in August 1923. Additional material came from various smaller collections. At the end of 1932, the museum was relocated in the center of the old city on the site of the 13th-century Metekhi church.

In 1945, following a special agreement between the Soviet and French governments, numerous works of art constituting the National Treasury of Georgia – manuscripts, metalwork, jewelry, enamels, paintings – evacuated by the Georgian government-in-exile following the 1921 Red Army invasion, were returned to Tbilisi and added to the museum’s collection. The eminent Georgian art historian Shalva Amiranashvili (after whom the museum is currently named), who was to head the museum for more than thirty years, played an important role in the formation of the collection.

The museum became officially known as the Art Museum of Georgia in 1950, the same year that it moved to the building it now occupies. Built in 1838 in neoclassic style, the building housed a theological seminary in the Imperial Russian period.

The museum was placed, at the end of 2004, under the joint administration with several other museums, forming the Georgian National Museum.

Collections

The spacious rooms of the museum building house the permanent collection, consisting of sections of Georgian, Oriental, Russian, and European art.

The most important of the museum’s collections is naturally that of Georgian art, illustrating the development of the national artistic culture over many centuries from ancient times to the present. The Oriental section comes next in its size and importance, and is one of the largest in the post-Soviet countries. Pieces of Persian fine arts, particularly Qajar art, is probably the most significant part of the Oriental collection. It includes several miniatures of Persian court artists – images of court beauties, and portraits of shahs and noblemen.

The museum often holds temporary exhibitions of works from other collections in the country and abroad.

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Details

Founded: 1920
Category: Museums in Georgia

More Information

museum.ge
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

N M (16 months ago)
Some exhibits were closed, so there was not a lot to see. The entry was a little overpriced considering the size in my opinion. However, it is possible to see some really unique works by Georgian painters.
Sinai Lopez (2 years ago)
Such an amazing variety of work! I loved it! Spent a few hours here but could have spent a whole day. I would highly recommend this art museum for any artist, aspiring artist or art lovers. It’s become one of my favorites and I’d happily go back to Tbilisi just to visit this museum again.
Mateusz Bociek (3 years ago)
It seems to be perm closed
Pasha Syrnikov (3 years ago)
Closed at 1pm on Sunday. If there has been a change to opening hours due to COVID, it should be reflected on the website and on by the museum door itself
giorgi salamashvili (3 years ago)
The Art Museum of Georgia (AMG) (Georgian: საქართველოს ხელოვნების მუზეუმი, sak'art'velos khelovnebis muzeumi), alternatively known as Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, is one of the leading museums in the country of Georgia. Falling under the umbrella of the Georgian National Museum, AMG is located near Freedom Square, Tbilisi and possesses around 140,000 items of Georgian, Oriental, Russian, and other European art.
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