Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi

The Art Museum of Georgia, also known as the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, is housed in an elegant neoclassical building originally constructed in 1838 as the Tiflis Theological Seminary. It gained its current name in 1950 in honor of Shalva Amiranashvili, the visionary art historian who led the institution for nearly four decades.

This museum’s origins trace back to 1920 with the establishment of the National Art Gallery, followed by the Central Museum of Fine Arts in 1923. It played an important role in preserving Georgia’s cultural heritage, especially when artworks evacuated during political upheavals were returned after World War II and added to its growing collection.

Visitors can explore around 140,000 art objects spanning a rich array of Georgian, Oriental, especially Persian Qajar, Russian, and European art. Highlights include Georgian medieval icons, wall paintings, jewelry, pre-Christian artifacts, and works by renowned national artists like Niko Pirosmani, David Kakabadze, Lado Gudiashvili, Iakob Nikoladze, and Shalva Kikodze.

Among its treasures is the Khakhuli Triptych, a large cloisonné enamel icon of the Virgin Mary featuring over a hundred medallions dating from the 8th to 12th centuries-either one of the world’s largest enamel artworks.