This month sees the first major UK retrospective of Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli’s work, whose work will be on display at the Saatchi Gallery.

Born in 1934 in Tbilisi, Georgia, the 85 year old Tsereteli will be displaying sculpture, paintings and enamel works from his early career until the present day, augmented with video archive footage that documents his life and work.

Gallery: Zurab Tsereteli

Omnipresent in Russia and known globally for his large-scale monuments that can be seen in Paris, London, New York and elsewhere, Tsereteli is recognised for breaking artistic convention during the Soviet Union, and is a founder of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), was awarded the highest accolade in France, the Legion of Honour in 2010, as well as being awarded the ‘Honoured Artist of Georgia’ title in 1967.

During his time in Paris in the 1946 Tsereteli met the masters Picasso and Chagall, an experience that changed his idea of what it was to create, and led to a new personal tradition of moving freely between painting, sculpture, and other forms. His renowned 2009 sculpture My Favourite Artists reflects this, depicting Picasso, Mogdigliani, Chagall, Matisse, and Van Gogh. 

In a retrospective that promises to weave between Western European and Russian traditions, this is a really exciting exhibition, and we can’t wait to see it. 

Words by Robert Greer.

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For more on Zurab Tsereteli, visit the Saatchi Gallery.

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