An Art Lover's Guide To Tbilisi

Georgia’s capital Tbilisi offers a wide variety of activities for art lovers. Here you can find various museums of fine art displaying exhibits from both local and foreign artists, galleries, art-related cafes and vibrant street art. Here’s your guide to some of the best places to admire art in the city.

Museum of Fine Arts

Museum

The Museum of Fine Arts displays enamel, textiles, jewelry, and unusual works of embroidery along with old Georgian wall art and works from Georgia, Russia, and European and Eastern countries. The museum hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Treasury of the Museum of Fine Arts showcases the works of Georgian masters from the Bronze Age to modern, 20th-century art.

Open every day from 10am-6pm except Mondays and official holidays, the museum charges 3 GEL ($1.30) for entry. It also offers guided tours for minimum ten people groups.

Elene Akhvlediani House-Museum

Memorial, Museum

Established in 1976, the house-museum of famous Georgian artist Elene Akhvlediani presents a typical Georgian interior, where you can find her pictorial and graphic artworks, theatrical sketches, costumes, book illustrations, photo materials and personal archives. She often hosted personal exhibitions and thematic evenings here, and created a place for prominent artist’s gatherings.

Similar to the Museum of Fine Arts, the house-museum is open every day except Mondays and official holidays. Admission costs 3 GEL ($1.30).

Mose Toidze House-Museum

Museum

Mose Toidze was a graphic artist, painter and the academician of the USSR Academy. His house-museum aims to preserve and introduce his works to public showcasing 373 diverse genre paintings and graphics. Additionally, here you can admire the rich archive materials that reflect the history of Georgia‘s national cultural heritage, such as the publications from the late 19th century to the 20th century, his personal letters, portraits, photos and many more.

The National Gallery

Art Gallery, Museum

The history of the National Gallery starts from 1920 and has become one of the central exhibition spaces of the city, where you can find temporary and permanent exhibitions. In four major exhibition halls, you can admire the works of distinguished artists of the 20th century such as David Kakabadze, Niko Pirosmanashvili, and Lado Gudiashvili to name a few.

Like any other museum, the National Gallery is closed on Mondays and official holidays. Entry costs 7 GEL ($2.90)

Museum of Modern Art

Museum

Established only in 2012, the museum covers 3,000 sq. meters of space offering several exhibition halls, educational centers, children’s studio, art-salon and a cafe. Exhibitions here vary each month, so make sure to check out their Facebook page to know what’s on during your visit to Tbilisi.

Fotographia

Photography lovers should lead to Fotografia, a gallery showcasing Tbilisi’s limited edition print photography. The venue aims to support the work of local and international photographers. Founded last year, in 2017, by an American-born photographer, Ryan McCarrel, and Giorgi Rodionov, a Georgian visual artist, the main objective of the gallery is to promote members of the Georgian photographic community who significantly contribute to visual arts.

The gallery hosts various events and workshops as well, so if you’re interested make sure to check their Facebook page for updates

Underground passages

Street art is quite scattered in Tbilisi. However, there are several spots you can find some of the best mural art. Underground passages are the main spaces to look for. Both small and big passages can hide beautiful and interesting graffiti, some of which can have social, political or cultural connotations. Vake Park and Hero Square underground passages hide some of the best gems from local mural artists.

Gabriadze Cafe

Cafe, European, Georgian, Coffee

Located right next to the famous Clock Tower, this beautiful café is part of the Gabriadze complex. Rezo Gabriadze is a playwright, a sculptor, film director, writer and a painter who created the Clock Tower and designed the cafe and its puppet theater. Cafe Gabriadze displays his art including posters, sculptures, ceramics and paintings.

Moulin Electrique

Being one of the popular cafes for locals, the interior of Moulin Electrique is a mixture of Parisian Montmartre and an underground Russian writer’s quarters. With old posters, pictures, and vintage decor, the place is a perfect spot to relax a bit, enjoy a cup of your favorite beverage, fuel up with tasty food, or to simply enjoy a warm day in their small garden setting. https://instagram.com/p/BfYC9CvAlap/

Fabrika Hostel Tbilisi

Building

Fabrika Hostel is a great spot to admire the street art in Tbilisi. Situated in a renovated old Soviet sewing factory, Fabrika is a multipurpose space that encompasses a hotel, cafes, bars, shops and many more. Both the exterior and the courtyard are adorned with the mural art of local artists. Moreover, the venue organizes Fabrikafitti festival on its grounds, where local artists get together and pain on the gray walls of the venue.

Art-Cafe Home

To end your day, pay a visit to Art-Cafe Home where colorful paintings and canvases line up next to each other both on the walls and ceilings on every floor of the venue. Sit down and order a cocktail and admire the works scattered on the three floors – if you stay longer, you’ll catch DJs spinning and locals flocking to the venue for late night fun. https://instagram.com/p/BClsNTHk0RR/

Cafe Gallery

Similar to Art-Cafe Home, Cafe-Gallery is a hangout place for late evening and night entertainment for many locals. However, you can come here early in the evening to admire the tapestries on the floor and art hanging on its walls. https://instagram.com/p/BfWXRGgFQDm/

About the author

Baia Dzagnidze

Writer

I am a travel blogger, content writer, food lover and a passionate photographer. Four years ago I quit my editorial job at the newspaper in order to pursue my passion of traveling through South East Asia. Check out my adventures at redfedoradiary.com or follow my daily rambling on Instagram @redfedoradiary.