The Art Palace of Georgia-Museum of Cultural History in Tbilisi is a treasure trove of Georgian cultural heritage and priceless treasures. The building that houses the museum is a magnificent palace, once owned by German prince Oldenburg. It is now a repository of Georgian cultural treasures. The Art Palace is located on 6 Kargareteli Street. Its exhibition halls are available daily from 10:30-18:00.
It was known as the Georgian State Museum of Theater, Music, Cinema and Choreography until April 2020, when it will be renamed.
GEORGIA TODAY spoke to Giorgi Kalandia about the transformation of the site from ruins to a palace, and how it has become a place of riches today.
Giorgi Kalandia received his degree in history from the Tbilisi State University in 1996. He began his career as a journalist, news producer, and host at various radio and TV programs in 1997. In 2005, he created the show ‘Chveneburebi,’ for Imedi TV. He was the Deputy Director at the National Center for Manuscripts from 2006 to 2008. Kalandia was Director of the Art Palace from 2009 to 2011. He worked on numerous books, documentaries and other publications that supported the popularization and documentation Georgian art and cultural heritage.
“I am also a Doctor in Historical Sciences,” Kalandia explains. “Becoming the Director of the Art Palace, and leading our team through the difficult time of a deteriorating museum, was a major challenge. I was a journalist and very involved with cultural themes. I worked on documentaries about Georgian culture heritage.
What was the condition of the Art Palace when you took it over in 2009? What were your first steps to restore it?
In 2009, the Art Palace was in a bad state. The Art Palace was in a terrible state in 2009. The whole building was in need of renovation as soon as it could be. The Ministry of Culture and Tbilisi City Hall began the restoration of the palace in 2009 with the help of its unique architecture and rich history. Thanks to this, the museum was able to survive the destruction.
Does the Art Palace need funding (and if so, who) to operate?
Art Palace is a government organization supported by the Ministry of Culture. However, due to the large number of visitors, not only from Georgia, but also from around the globe, we have been able to establish a sustainable revenue. In times of safety (and assuming no pandemic), we offer short courses and guided tours to school groups. This includes a talk from a member of our team on anything from the history and tradition of sending greetings cards and postcards to a short craft activity.
What have you done that has made the Art Palace successful? What are your key achievements? What makes the museum special?
The museum is housed in a building that is particularly notable for its architecture and style. It is a perfect example both of Gothic and Islamic architecture. The palace was a gift from German Prince Oldenburg to his new Georgian wife, Agraphina Japaridze. Agraphina moved to Tbilisi from Kutaisi, a western Georgian town. She left her husband in 1880. The palace was designed in the 1880s by Paul Stern, a renowned architect who is known for other notable buildings from the 19th century.
The Art Palace has been announced as the winner of the International Travel Awards for the “Best Museum In Georgia 2021” category
The Art Palace of Georgia, a “palace-type” museum, houses over 3000 exhibits as well as unique collections relating to Georgian culture and European and Asian culture. We are very interested in popularizing our museum on different international platforms. We were the first Georgian Museum to be featured on the Google Arts & Culture Website with 13 online exhibits. In 2018, we received an Europa Nostra Award for the project “Textile from Georgia,” helping us to reach a wider audience. Art Palace was included in the Network of European royal residences last year along with the Musee du Louvre, Paris, and the State Hermitage Museum.
What did you do to keep the Art Palace going after Covid-19?
Covid-19 was a very tough time for cultural institutions, but we didn’t stop interacting with the community on our social media platforms. We actively engaged with our audience by posting interactive and informative posts, videos and online tours of the Palace. We also actively developed exhibitions on the Google Art & Culture Website.
Tell us about your books and the Art Palace team.
We currently offer 26 books made by Art Palace specialists on our official website (you can see full pdf versions here: https://artpalace.ge/en/art_palace/3). Our museum store also sells some physical copies of the books. There are many ways to increase public awareness and interest in cultural topics. One of these is through the creation of visually rich and informative catalogs and books.
What are your plans for the Art Palace in the future?
The Art Palace of Georgia, Museum of Cultural History has been announced as the winner of the International Travel Awards for the “Best Museum of Georgia 2021” Category. We hope to continue growing and participate in larger scale projects. I once said Art Palace was like the Louvre for Georgia. Although this statement sounds ambitious, I believe we have the right to strive for this title because we have worked hard to get to this point and I hope that our museum will be even more popular in the future.
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The museum is located in a building designed by the well-known architect Paul Stern in Tbilisi, and is a good example of gothic architecture and Islamic architecture.
Agraphina Japaridze (1882) was married to a Georgian nobleman from the House of Dadiani at the time. She was married at the time to a Georgian nobleman of the House Dadiani. Prince Oldenburg confessed to her his love. Together, they left Kutaisi and settled in Tbilisi. Prince Oldenburg built the palace as a sign of his love for his beloved. In 1927 the Museum of Theater was moved into the building. It was founded by David Arsenishvili, a famous Georgian figure (1905-1963) who later became the First Director of Andrei Rublev Museum, Moscow.
The museum has more than 300 000 objects, which provide information about the development of Georgian theater and cinema, as well as folklore, ballet, opera, and circus. They also give insight into the lives figures in these fields. Some museum exhibits date from the classical era. Archeologists from Vani have unearthed an antique mask.
The Depository of Manuscripts and Archive documents contains manuscripts of Ilia Tsereteli (aka Ilia Chavchavadze), Alexander Kazbegi (aka Aleksandre Akhmeteli), Kote Marjanishvili (aka Kote Marjanishvili), Pyotr Taikokovsky, Feodor Chraliapin and Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov.
The museum houses the archives of Dimitri Arakishvili and Zakaria Paliashvili of Georgian music, Vano Sarjishvili of Georgian drama, Giorgi Eristavi of modern Georgian theatre, Mikheilchiaureli of film and screenwriting, and Ivane Machabeli of William Shakespeare translations into Georgian.
The Depository of Books has rare editions dating from the 17th century to the 19th century. Also preserved are gramophone records and posters as well as theatre and film costumes.
The Depository of Photos and negatives includes material from such films as Jim Shvante and Mamluk.
The Depository of Fine Arts houses a collection of Persian miniatures from the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as French engravings from the 18th century and old Tbilisi paintings. The museum houses the works of Leon Bakst and Alexander Benua.
The Art Palace Fund also includes the Collection of Persian Fine Arts; Collection of Western European Fine Arts; Collection of Russian Fine Arts. Depository of Posters and Gramophone Records. Depository of Library and Rare Editions. Depository of Memorial Objects and Works of Art.
Click here for more information on the Museum Fund.
Giorgi Kalandia is known for his:
Books: The Shrines of the Virgin Mary and Georgia (1999), Zugdidi Dadiani Palace (2001), Zugdidi Historical Museum (2002), The Treasure of the Dadiani Palaces (2003), The Bishops of Odisha (2004), Stolen Treasures (2006), Colorful Past (2007), and Historical-Architectural Museum of Dadiani Palaces (Guide).
Documentaries: “I Am the Soul of Georgia”, Colorful Dreams”, Cry of Stones”, Children of One Chorokhi”, Gelino”, Missed Lazeti”, Georgian Light”, Hereti”, Misreti Horsemen”, Lazeti Nightingale”, The Plague of Your heart”, Heroes of the Balkans”, Eastern Sun”, and “Ahmed Melashvili”.
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