VAKHTANG KOKIASHVILI

Georgian artist Vakhtang Kokiashvili was born in Tbilisi, Mtatsminda district in 1930. He’s father Ioseb Kokiashvili was a well-known artist and caricaturist. In 1956 Kokiashvili graduated from the Tbilisi Art Academy (faculty of painting) and started his creative work in classical painting. During his studies at the Academy, he was excluded for overt curiosity and out of the box thinking, but luckily was soon reinstated. After the graduation Kokiashvili becomes interested in postimpressionism and American expressionism.

The soviet exhibition committees (“Vistavkoms”) rarely exhibit his works though. Simultaneously he starts working in monumental art (stained glass window, mosaic, design, poster etc.). In 1962-1969 and 1973-1979 Kokiashvili served as the chief artist of the Artists’ Fund of Georgia. In 1967 he was awarded the title of the Honored Artist of Georgia. In 1981-1994 he chaired the Monumental Division of the Artists’ Union of Georgia. At different times his works were exhibited in the cities of Warsaw (Poland, 1959), Tripoli (Libya, 1965), Dresden (Germany, 1969), Sofia (Bulgaria, 1975) and Kecskemét (Hungary, 1981 and 1989).

In July-August of 1996 the artist worked at the international Artist’s-house studio in Paris and later had his first personal exhibition at the Georgian Embassy, Paris (France). Emergence of stained-glass art in Georgia is very much influenced by Vakhtang Kokiashvili. He is best known for creating following works: stained glass windows in the interior of the former Hotel Iveria (Tbilisi), at the lower station of the Tbilisi Funicular, at the Tbilisi International Airport, at the Institute of Physiology (Tbilisi); painting and stained glass window at the Hotel Metekhi (Tbilisi). His works have also been presented in the other Georgian cities and locations: Kutaisi, Abasha, Kvareli, Tskhinvali, Sukhumi, Adler, Pitsunda, recreational complexes of the Ritsa Lake (Abkhazia) and Nalchik (Russian Federation), numerous sites in Moscow (Russian Federation), Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Since 1990s Vakhtang Kokiashvili became active in production of pop art series. His collection of works also unites hundreds of collages, graphical works and assemblages. Vakhtang Kokiashvili died in his house–studio in Tbilisi in 2010 after several months of illness, though he never stopped working.