Gudiashvili Lado
Lado (Vladimer) Gudiashvili [March 18 (30), 1896, Tbilisi – July 19, 1980, Tbilisi], was a painter, illustrator and stage and film designer - People’s Artist of Georgia (1958) and of the USSR (1972), a winner of the Shota Rustaveli State Prize (1965) and an Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi (1979).
He graduated from the Caucasian Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts School in Tbilisi in 1914. From 1914 to 1919, he taught drawing at the Tbilisi Classical Boys’ Gymnasium. His first illustrations were published in the magazine Theater and Life (1914), and his graphic works from this period appeared in Arsi (ARS), Phoenix, and other journals. His first solo exhibition was held in 1915.
In 1916, Gudiashvili co-founded the Society of Georgian Artists. He participated in expeditions to study monuments of ancient Georgian culture (1916–17) and joined E. Takaishvili’s 1917 expedition to historical Southern Georgia, where he documented Georgian monuments and copied frescoes. Gudiashvili contributed to the decoration of the “Kimerioni” restaurant (part of today’s Rustaveli Theatre building) in 1919.
Between 1917 and 1919, he created a cycle of paintings dedicated to Tbilisi, such as Kristine and others. During this period, Gudiashvili met Niko Pirosmanishvili, to whom he later dedicated several works. He also illustrated 22 images for Georgia’s first fashion magazine.
In 1919, he left for Paris, where he studied at Ranson’s “Free Academy.” While in Paris, he continued to work on old Tbilisi themes. Notable works from this period include: Spring, Idyll, Feast on a Phaeton and Paris-themed pieces such as Bridge in Paris, Parisians, Citizens of Paris, and others.
He was active in Parisian exhibitions, and held personal exhibitions there in 1922 and 1925. His works were acquired by major collectors and galleries, including the Salon d’Automne, Galerie Joseph Bie, Licorne, and the Prado Museum in Madrid. French newspapers published articles about his work, and French author Maurice Raynal wrote a monograph titled Lado Gudiashvili.
In 1926, Gudiashvili returned to Tbilisi, where that same year his solo exhibition was held at the Shota Rustaveli Drama Studio. From 1926 to 1931, he collaborated with K. Marjanishvili, designing stage sets for plays such as Mzetamze, Lamara, and Arsena, as well as for M. Chiaureli’s films Saba and Khabarda.
From 1927 to 1934, he was a professor at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts. Back in his homeland, Gudiashvili struggled to adapt to the Soviet regime. The principles of Socialist Realism were alien to him and he could not find his individual voice in this genre. It is evident in works such as Evil Family, Helpless, Doomed, China, and others.
1930, he married Nino Mgeladze (later Nino Gudiashvili), who remained his muse and loyal friend throughout his life.
Between 1931 and 1940, he participated in exhibitions in Tbilisi, Moscow, Chicago, Paris, Marseille, London, and other cities. He designed the production of Keto and Kote at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Between 1946 and 1948, he painted the altar of Khashveti Church in Tbilisi. He was the first Georgian painter (since the 17th-century miniatures) to illustrate Shota Rustaveli’s The Knight in the Panther’s Skin (1934), and also illustrated Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani’s Sibrdzne Sitsruisa (1930). Gudiashvili created illustrations for many works of Georgian and foreign writers.
In 1957, a personal exhibition of his work was held at the Georgian National Gallery in Tbilisi, and in 1958 at the Artists’ Union Hall in Moscow, presenting the first comprehensive collection of his works. From 1960 to 1980, he participated in exhibitions across various European cities.
He created portraits of historical and contemporary figures, including Niko Pirosmanashvili (1928), Nikoloz Baratashvili (1941), Beka and Beshken Opizari (1946), Nino Gudiashvili (1937), Tamar Tsitsishvili (1940), Dimitri Uznadze (1945), and Natela Akhvlediani (1941), and others. He also produced a grotesque graphic series illustrating the clash between beauty and evil, with titles like The Butcher, The Emperor, etc.
Gudiashvili responded to World War II with a graphic series including Vile Reptiles and The Aggressor’s Ultimatum (both 1942).
Lado Gudiashvili was an artist known for his individuality, who created his own rich and unique world. Depending on the content, his works evoke a variety of moods—festive, elevated, and "fairy-tale-like"; psychologically deep and dramatic; theatrical and spectacular; or grotesque. His paintings and drawings are notable for their refined and balanced composition, decorative qualities, and at times, ornamental elements.
Gudiashvili’s art gained international recognition. His works are preserved in the Georgian National Museum, his family’s collection, and in private collections both in Georgia and abroad. Numerous albums and books dedicated to his work have been published in Georgia and other countries.
He is buried in the Mtatsminda Pantheon, where his statue stands on his grave (sculptor: E. Amashukeli; architect: N. Mgaloblishvili, 1985). In Tbilisi, both a square and a street are named after him.
After his death, solo exhibitions of his work were held in Rome (1991, San Michele Church), Tbilisi (1996, National Gallery), and Paris (1997, Mornay Gallery of the French National Assembly).
Literature: ბ ე რ ი ძ ე ვ., ლადო გუდიაშვილი, თბ. – ბუდაპეშტი, 1975; ლადო გუდიაშვილი - 120, თბ., 2016; უცნობი ლადო გუდიაშვილი, თბ., 2021; З л а т к е в и ч Л., Ладо Гудиашвили, Тб., 1971; Ладо Гудиашвили. Альбом. Сост. М. К. Коган. Автор текста Л. Златкевич, Л., 1983; Lado Gudiachvili. Assemblée Nationale, P., 1997; R a y n a l M., Lado Gudiachvili, P., 1925.
V. Beridze
A. Meliva
