Gamrekeli Irakli

Irakli Gamrekeli [May 5 (17), 1894, Gori – May 10, 1943, Tbilisi] was a scenographer. He was one of the founders of Georgian theatre art - Honored Artist of Georgia (1934).

He studied at the Medical Institute in Rostov-on-Don and from 1918 at the Medical Faculty of Tbilisi State University. From 1922, he was the leading artist of the Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli Theater. He made significant contributions to the development of the theater's creative style. His work was particularly fruitful during his collaboration with S. Akhmeteli. During this period, he designed sets for productions such as W. Shakespeare's Hamlet (1925), B. Lavrenyov’s The Fall, G. Robakidze's Lamara (1930), Sh. Dadiani's Tetnuldi (1931), F. Schiller’s The Robbers (1933), Shakespeare's Othello (1937), N. Pogodin's The Man with the Gun (1938), A. Korniychuk's Bogdan Khmelnitsky (1940); at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater – Z. Paliashvili’s Abesalom and Eteri (1936), A. Balanchivadze's Heart of the Mountains (1938), and others.

In his early works, Gamrekeli’s designs featured highly conventional and dynamic constructions. He created realistic landscapes using vibrant colors and lines. The decor elements, rhythmically arranged in the stage space, helped to create scenes full of drama. He received state awards.

Literature: ირაკლი გამრეკელი. კრებული, თბ., 1958; კუხიანიძე ც., ირაკლი გამრეკელი, თბ., 1988; ლომთათიძე ლ., ირაკლი გამრეკელი. [ალბომი], თბ., 1984; შვანგირაძე ნ., ირაკლი გამრეკელი, თბ., 1968.

K. Kintsurashvili