Arsenishvili Davit

Arsenishvili Davit (1905–1963), Stage director, theater historian and art critic. One of the first theoreticians and practitioners in the field of administration of museums and exhibitions in the USSR. He was born in Tkibuli, Georgia. In 1923 he graduated from the Dramatic Studio in Moscow. In 1927 he founded a Museum of Theater in Tbilisi and headed it till March 1, 1935. In 1928-29 he collected materials for arranging an exhibition dedicated to A. Griboedov’s life and work, thereby giving birth to the Literary Museum on Mt. Mtatsminda. In 1936-38 he studied at the Studio of Moscow Arts Academic Theater under K. Stanislavsky’s guidance. They used to invite D. Arsenishvili to different cities, where he gave consultations on the projects of theatrical structures. In 1949-59 he was the creator and first manager of Old Russian Arts Museum named after Andrey Rublyov. Today the Museum boasts D. Arsenishvili’s memorial corner. In 1927-58 he organized a number of thematic exhibitions (Tbilisi, Baku, Yerevan, Moscow and Leningrad); selected and prepared Georgian materials for the exhibitions in Paris, London, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Rome and New York.

D. Arsenishvili died in Tbilisi.