EU funded Twinning Project

“Support to the Institutional Development of the Georgian National Museum”

     

   

 The Project 

 

The main goal of this 27-month project is to strengthen the Georgian National Museum as an institution which is enabled to speed up culture as an essential component by the development of Georgia. Besides the Resident Twinning Advisor, who was sent by the National Museums in Berlin for the period of the project to Tbilisi, from German side are more than 40 employees involved in consultations, mostly taking place in Georgia.

  

The focus of the project lies on the following topics: planning of the museum buildings, storages and workshops, improvement of preventive-conservation practices and the introduction of common museum’s standards. Visits of German experts will bring their experience and expertise in form of consultations, working group sessions, and seminars to Georgia. Moreover, study visits and internships at the institutions of the National Museums in Berlin will serve for further education of the Georgian colleagues. Through the scope of this Twinning Project a unique possibility arises in the collaboration between two cultural facilities of national importance.

  

The Components

 

With its overall duration of 27 months, the project is basically divided into four components, each component having its aim fulfilled through a large number of on spot activities.

Component 1:  “Support to the creation of a new restoration-conservation centre“. The reorganization plan of the Georgian National Museum foresees constructing of a new restoration-conservation centre (RCC). German experts will support Georgian specialists in the following fields: construction analysis, construction planning, formation as well as equipment of the storage rooms, restoration workshops and research laboratories. 

Component 2:  “Improvement of preventive conservation practice”. Referring to the construction of RCC, the German side will formulate recommendations on preventive conservation.  After the study visits of the Georgian specialists, the mentioned recommendations will be driven into a further step, used in practice and drafted in manuals. The long-term internships in Berlin will give the Georgian experts a possibility to deepen their knowledge in these fields.

Component 3: “Collection removal pilot case”. The Georgian National Museum is planning the modernisation of the Museum of Fine Arts, with its exhibition areas and depots.  The pilot case considers drafting of procedures for removal of art collections to the planned storage building based on the example of oriental collection. In different stages the Georgian and German experts will describe the scope of works, develop planning process and guidelines for removal of collection, will carry out the removal and evaluate the works at the end. 

Component 4: “Introduction of a set of standards and applications in selected areas”. The experts from Berlin will support the Georgian National Museum to adopt museum standards focusing on the following fields: public service, loans and exhibitions, legal aspects and development of partnerships, human resources and finance issues. Initially, there will be museum standards of GNM thoroughly worked over.  After the internships of Georgian experts in Berlin, the drafts of standards to be implemented in the future will be worked over and adopted in Georgian National Museum together with the German colleagues.

 

The Georgia National Museum hosts the exhibition “Masterpieces of Georgian Fine Art: first half of 20^th century” at the renovated National Gallery.

 

For the first time, visitors will be able to enjoy the breathtaking paintings, sculptures, and theater paintings by the prominent Georgian artists such as: Niko Pirosmani, David Kakabadze, Lado Gudiashvili, Gigo Gabashvili, Ketevan Magalashvili, Elene Akhvlediani, Felix Varlamishvili, Sergo Kobuladze, Irakli Gamrekeli, Apolon Kutateladze, Ucha Japaridze, Niko Nikoladze and Nikoloz Kandelaki.

 

Presented art heritage embodies the solid foundation and valuable technology for modern and contemporary Georgian art.

  

 

The Archaeological Treasury houses specimens of goldsmithery, discovered as a result of excavations carried out in Georgia. Their vast majority are of local manufacture.

The developmental path of Georgian goldsmithery from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the advent of Christianity (4th century A.D.) is represented in three parts:

 The culture of the Great Barrows (3^rd-2^nd millennia B.C.)

Ancient items of gold and silver, particular adornments and diverse ritual objects (vessels, standards, etc.) were discovered in the rich barrow burials of persons of high standing of the society of the period, brought to light on the territory of present-day Kartli, Kakheti and Trialeti.

 “Colchis rich in gold” (8^th -3^rd centuries B.C.)

Colchian adornments of the 5^th-4^th centuries B.C. (diadems, templerings, necklaces, bracelets, etc), discovered in especially large quantity in the burials of nobles in Vani and Sairkhe – on the territory of the kingdom of Colchis – land of the mythical Golden Fleece, account for the epithet “rich in gold” applied to Colchis in Greco-Roman sources, similarly to the city’s famed for their wealth: Mycenae, Sardis and Babylon. These items of Colchian goldsmithery were created in the 8^th - 6^th centuries B.C., when – following a millennial pause –  gold and silver adornments reappear across almost the entire territory of Georgia.

The Kingdom of Kartli or Iberia (3^rd century B.C. – 4^th century A.D.)

The specimens of goldsmithery of the 4th -3rd centuries B.C., discovered on the territory of Eastern Georgia, among which the Akhalgori Hoard stands out for its uniqueness, belonged to the aristocracy that lived here prior to the establishment of the Kingdom of Kartli or Iberia, as it was referred to in Greco-Roman written sources. Numerous examples of Iberian goldsmithery, found in the burials of the members of the royal house and of local nobles (pitiakhshes) point to the power of the Kingdom of Iberia. These items are distinguished for their highly original polychrome style: both made locally and real masterpieces of toreutics and glyptics, imported from Iran and Rome.

 

Dmanisi is the first field museum in Georgia located at the archeological site.   With its architecture Dmanisi preserves world famous archeological layers, provides favorable conditions for scientific studies and caters to broad public interests.

While this filed museum creates conditions for archeological excavations, it also welcomes visiotrs, at the same time Dmanisi’s unique archeology fully reflects museology and educational concepts.

The museum is located at the archeological site which reveals well-preserved cultural layers from three periods: Stone, Bronze and Middle.

     

Georgian National Museum together with the Tbilisi City Assembly and the Tbilisi City Hall represents the project "Ancient Tbilisi".

 

Inventorisation of the archaeological findings unearthed in Tbilisi, creation of their data and perfection of the archaeological museum-depot’s infrastructure is going to be fulfilled within the frames of this project. 

Today we have two Tbilisi: Old and New Tbilisi. Though, the third, the Ancient one also exists. This part of Tbilisi is not unearthed yet and covers the earliest periods of its history. We do believe that their exploration will bring the great success not only to our City, but to the whole County also. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Schools are the major products of the Word leading museums.  Georgian National museum’s Educational Center worked out a special program of the Summer School 2009. The Program will be launched in June and July 2009.
One week package consist of theoretical and practical lectures and visits of exhibitions.
The Museums’ Area gives an unique opportunity for the interested persons to learn more about the treasure  of GNM from the primary sources.

Such educational programs will highly increase interest and attitude of the young generation to national heritage, art and science.

Registration
All interested parties have to conduct the registration
Tel: 995 32 931 652
E-mail: artexpress@gol.ge

The exhibitions of Archaeological discoveries from Vani of Georgian National Museum have already been shown in major museums in Europe and the United States.

Exhibitions present spectacular gold, silver, ceramic vessels, jewelry, Greek bronze sculpture, Greek and Colchian coins, and Greek glassware. Together these objects provide a rich and informative view of the ancient land of Colchis and its principal sanctuary city, Vani, a town in the Imereti region of western Georgia.

 

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