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Details of daily life as experienced in a medieval (4th-18th century) Eastern Iberian settlement can be found at the Sighnaghi Museum's Medieval Archaeology exhibitOn the second floor, visitors can find the permanent exhibition of the greatest Georgian self-taught artist of the late 19th-early 20th century, Niko Pirosmanashvili, often known simply as PirosmaniSighnaghi Museum

Niko Pirosmani on Georgian lari banknote

Portait of Niko Pirosmani by Pablo Picasso (1972)

Queen Tamar announcing Decree

Erekle II(1720-1798)The king is a focal figure among the Georgian historic personalities featured in Pirosmani’s works

Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918) was distinguished from his contemporaries by an exceptional talent of figurative and synthetic perception of the universe. World of his art embraced the diversity of the reality of human beings, nature, animals, and objects. Life and art, art and man were indivisible for Pirosmani.

Lion

Georgian woman with Lechaki 130X105cm Private collection

A Georgian woman 1907118x89cm

A Georgian Woman with Tamboreen 1906 State Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi

Geo

rgia

n W

oman

with

thar

i

Doctor on donkey

Copper rendition of the painting,

located in Signaghi

Winemakers

Running deer 

A Deer

Lamb and Easter Table with Flying Angels

Lamb and Easter Table with Flying Angels

Vintage. 1906

Mother and Son

Mol

okan

s S

ingi

ng (F

east

of t

he m

olok

ans)

Shamil with a Bodyguard

Giorgi Saakadze 1913 Robbers Preparing for a Raid

Lady

in re

d

Lion and the SunState Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi

‘Krtsanisi’ State Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi

…and as they say in Georgia – “Bread, cheese and a kind Heart… What else do we need?”

Hen with her chicksArt Museum of Georgia

Roe at a stream

Fox

Sta

te A

rt M

useu

m o

f Geo

rgia

, Tbi

lisi

Feast with organ grinder Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi

The Feast of Five Princes 1906 State Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi

Feast at Gvimradze

Friends Begosa

A tamada holding a

kantsi (horn) and

introducing a toast at a

keipi (festive supra)

Feast at Vintage Time 105x349 cm. The State Museum of Fine Arts of Georgia, Tbilisi

According to Georgian legend, when God was distributing land among the peoples of the world, the Georgians were so busy eating and drinking that they lost their place in the queue and there was no land left for them. But when they invited God to join the party, he enjoyed himself so immensely he gave them all the choicest bits of land he had been saving for himself

Razzle-dazzle of three princes1909

Feast of three noblemen

Feast

Girl

with

flow

ers

(Por

trait

of th

e A

ctre

ss M

arga

rita)

Eas

ter e

ggs

Ascension day (Easter)W

oman

with

Eas

ter E

ggs

Fruit stall

Fire

woo

d S

elle

r Boy

The

farm

er a

nd h

is g

rand

son

1908

Family feast 1907

Advertising wine

The life of the artist was hard and tragic. However, in early 20th century he became a vagrant artist. He painted his unique, full of mysterious charm pictures on black oil-cloth and sold them for a small fee in the poor districts on the left bank of the Kura. He painted signboards for dining halls, shops, bakeries, taverns, and wine cellars. There were his sponsors among tavern owners

Sig

n bo

ard

adve

rtisi

ng b

eer

Sig

n bo

ard

adve

rtisi

ng te

a, b

eer,

win

es a

nd s

pirit

s

Sign board advertising wine

Two Georgians at Marani

Sign board advertising wine

Sce

ne fr

om th

e P

lay

«Bro

ther

and

Sis

ter»

by

V.G

uniy

a

Wom

an a

nd h

er c

hild

ren

goin

g to

a s

prin

g

Georgian woman and her children

Fish

erm

an in

a R

ed S

hirt

Nat

iona

l Gal

lery

, Tbi

lisi.

Girl

with

bal

oon

Girl

with

a B

aloo

n S

tate

Art

Mus

eum

of G

eorg

ia, T

bilis

i, G

eorg

ia

Girl

with

red

balo

on

Fisherman among Rocks

1906 Tretyakov

Gallery, Moscow

«Kakhetian Epos (Alasan Valley)» Detail

On the farm

Cam

el

Boy

Del

iver

ing

Lunc

h S

tate

Mus

eum

of F

ine

Arts

of G

eorg

ia, T

bilis

i

Shota Rustaveli 1913

Giraffe R

oe d

eer

The painter died of hunger and illness alone, poor, and unknown in Tbilisi on May 5, 1918

Self-portrait

Prasto (Vazha Mikaberidze) Niko Pirosmani statue at

Pirosmani museum

Niko Pirosmani statue at Pirosmani museum in Mirzaani by Prasto (Vazha Mikaberidze)

Niko Pirosmani museum in Mirzaani

Lado

Gud

iash

vili

(Geo

rgia

n 18

96-1

980)

Nik

o P

irosm

ani 1

928

Nik

o P

irosm

ani b

y E

lguj

a A

mas

huke

li, T

bilis

i

Text: InternetPictures: Internet Sanda FoişoreanuCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

Sound: Million Roses - Alla Pugacheva; Dominique Moisan

Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918) was born in the village of Mirzaani, Kakheti Region of Georgia. Niko, orphaned early, was brought up in the Kalantarovs family – rich vineyard owners. In 1872 Pirosmani moved to Tbilisi together with the Kalantarovs. Here, in the capital of Georgia, he spent nearly all his life. Together with his friend he tried to found a workshop for making signboards, worked as a brakeman at the railway, was a shop seller. However, in early 20th century he became a vagrant artist. He painted his unique, full of mysterious charm pictures on black oil-cloth and sold them for a small fee in the poor districts on the left bank of the Kura. He painted signboards for dining halls, shops, bakeries, taverns, and wine cellars. There were his sponsors among tavern owners. The painter died of hunger and illness alone, poor, and unknown in Tbilisi on May 5, 1918. Many geniuses had such destiny. The National Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi owns 160 Pirosmanashvili’s works. Pictures are seldom exhibited in other cities. The last large exhibition was in Kiev in 2006. It is planned to display pictures in Paris.Pirosmani is known in Russia for the legend of a romantic encounter with a French actress who visited his town; he was deeply in love with her, and to demonstrate it, bought her enough flowers to fill the square in front of her hotel window (allegedly bankrupting himself). The story became famous when it was recounted in a poem by Andrei Voznesensky, and later into a hit song by Alla Pugacheva, Million of Red Roses