The Underground Museum of Zaryadie Park presents the exhibition of Zurab Tsereteli, the Winner of the Picasso Prize, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, President of the Russian Academy of Arts featuring the artist’s three pictures: Seductive Rimma (2008); The Second Round (2012); At Tsereteli’s Picture (2012). The multimedia section covers archive material and a documentary film about the artist.
“Painting for Zurab is the beginning of all the beginnings”, – said Marc Chagall about Tsereteli. Today, the artist’s name is mostly associated with his sculptures, Tsereteli’s monuments can be seen from Moscow and Paris to New York and Arecibo (Puerto Rico). At the same time, painting has always been an integral part of his work. “I see everything in color”, – the artist says about himself and these words are important for understanding his works.
Zurab Tsereteli was born in Georgia and his deep knowledge of folk art was the basis for his creative output. Since his childhood because of his uncle George Nizharadze he was surrounded by artists including Lado Gudiashvili who very much influenced his desire to be an artist. In the Tbilisi Academy of Arts, Zurab Tsereteli studied under recognised masters of painting Joseph Sharleman and Vasily Shukhaev. In the middle of the 1960s, Tsereteli went to Paris where he visited the studios of some of the most distinguished modernists of the 20th century, including Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso.
In 2020, the Underground Museum of Zaryadie Park has radically changed the direction of its activity and become a platform for showcasing the art of various times and styles combining the painting and sculpture and exhibition with a multimedia submersion into a biography of artists and historical context. The #Three project has been conceived as a kaleidoscope of changing exhibitions (2-3 weeks). The Museum has already offered exhibits by Aristarkh Lentulov, Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubosarsky.