Zurab Tsereteli – painter, graphic artist, sculptor, monumnentalist, architect, designer, master of leaded panels, gobelens, mosaics, icon artist, goldsmith, embroiderer, pedagogue, management organizer, ambassador, collector, expert, perfectly knowing economics and museums, patron of the arts – all this in one person? Why not, God rarely gives many talents to one person, the energy, titanic laboriousness and fidelity to principles. A Zurab Tsereteli phenomenon for humans is very rare event. Don’t be surprised if you will see the renaissance sun “raised” in him.
He lives in the past as well as in the future. He just cannot live otherwise. He is a person that can do many things simultaneously. His huge energy is catching and brings others under his will, activates everybody and everything. They say he is very ingenuous, free and childish, and all those features make up his own organic style, but for the Master of Arts Tsereteli main are not the external factors, but the real, powerful emotions and the emotions drive the colors to become arts.
Zurab Tsereteli tried a lot to hide his sadness and his frustration, but after all, he could not overcome it. Often the psychic gesture, frustration can be seen in his works and the spectators can feel it right as they look at them. The result is his flowers “garden” – the amazing, crying and blooming red papaver lighting and the emotional songs and the individual coloring are seen in his paintings.
The family there Zurab Tsereteli grew up, had often guests – joyful people: David Kakabadze, Sergo Kobuladze, Ucha Japaridze, Apolon Kutateladze and other. His uncle Giorgi Nizharadze was a painter and this influenced a lot to a professional choice process for young Zurab. Little Zurab in school often was drawing something, on summer holidays he went to his granny to village Gubi and studied the folk arts. In the village I felt like a bird, says Mr. Zurab.
He studied in Tbilisi Arts Academy. He was interested in panel pictures, mosaic, monuments, sculpture. He traveled in Georgia and other countries, seeing different exhibitions, He graduated from the academy in 1958. His diploma work was called “Sportsman’s portrait”.
Mr. Zurab began to work in the ethnographic museum with the academician Giorgi Chitaia as an artist-architect-restaurateur, participated in many archeological researches and studied the materials found. He was very impressed by historic monuments existing in Georgia and he set a goal to create the memorial complex, showing all the Georgian cultural monuments and show them in different way via the spiritual prism.
Zurab Tsereteli has raised the historical-memorial complex on Keeni mountain, the mountain looking over the whole Tbilisi city. “Sakarttvelos matiane” is a great project not only for Georgia, but also for the world monumental arts, having no analog. In many countries Mr. Zurab has put his monuments of different forms and volumes, but the way he felt here in his own native land, he had nowhere else. However, here he had many obstacles – no finances. Zurab decided to finish the large-scale construction with his own means. Day and night he worked on the creature – just like a parent concerning about his child.
Zurab Tsereteli has created 98-meter monument on Moskva river bank, it is one of the highest sculptures in the world. He also is author of the “St. Nino” monument in the entrance to Tbilisi and “St. Giorgi” sculpture in the center of Freedom square.
After the September 11, 2001 tragedy he presented the Americans with 30-meter “Grieve tear” of 175 tons and which stands in front of the “Freedom statue” on Hudson river bank. Due to such popes and large monuments Zurab Tsereteli often is criticized by people who say they are too big and non-proportional.
On May 14, 2001 in the yard of the Moscow modern arts museum the unique museum-piece was created – “fragments of the Eifel tower ladder”. The beginning part of the great construction having the important historic meaning, was passed to Zurab Tsereteli by the Eifel tower association member Henri Morvane. In his turn, Mr. Zurab the unique symbol of the new industrial history epoch, vanguard arts piece having the utilitarian function – the fragment of the Eifel tower ladder was brought by him to Moscow, and 1999 Zurab Tsereteli himself opened it and became its director.
Mr. Zurab says: when I was a little boy, my grandma gave me a cross, christened me and told me that Christ was the way, truth and live… – After that I did not take off my cross and did not look for any other ways.
– Once, when I was flying to Brazil, it was my first travel abroad. In the customs declaration it was forbidden to show the gold cross, they had a right to confiscate it. A customs officer looked at me, thinking what to do. I was silent, waiting for his decision – I was not going to put off my grandma’s cross. “Show me your cross”, – he said. I said I will not put off my cross, if you want don’t’ let me pass. I had such a funny face that the customs officer began to laugh and let me pass. After that it is always with me…
He goes by the Christ’s was from the very childhood and even today speeds up with “his volcanic energy”, not as an ascetic, looking for death and eternity, but as an artist, whose labor and creative burn are just like the religion and he looks for Christ to find life in him… His heart has seen torture, pain, frustration. He has seen the great pain in the world. He saw that before love death has not any power, it cannot get it down…
For only one woman he has built a church in his heart and even today he prays for her. Christ and Inesa he found in soul first, that’s why he never tried to find compassion in others, however, his heart cried with blood drops… heart cannot live without love and Tsereteli became the alchemist – he made happiness out of pain, to share it with humanity and help every suffering person. He enjoys helping others. The old truth became real life for him.
Zurab Tsereteli became the professor of Tbilisi Arts Academy in 1983, in 1997 he was awarded the professor’s title for Brockport State University at New York state. In 1989 he went to live in Russia and 2 years later he got the status of plenipotentiary ambassador. from 1997 he is head of the Russian Arts Academy. He is awarded the Lenin premium and the USSR state premium, the New York good-will ambassador, member of the Spanish Arts Royal Academy and French Arts Academy, president of the children’s foundation “Holiday garden” (1988), Moscow international “UNESCO aid foundation” founder and declared “multi-billionaire”.
Tsereteli is not only the painter and sculptor, he is also the talented organizer, architect and constructor. By his nature he is very creator. He is requiring and understanding towards his co-workers, he has the large-scale thinking, titanic laboriousness, he dreams of the higher and he can reach it.
Zurab Tsereteli family