The National Museum in Krakow is inviting you to the first not only in Poland, but probably also in Europe, such a comprehensive, panoramic and wide-ranging exhibition of Georgian art – from the oldest traces of human activity through stunning, ancient examples of Kolchida gold, stone steles of the early Middle Ages, the most ancient traces of human activity, enchanting ancient examples of Colchis gold, stone steles of the early Middle Ages, shimmering with a blaze of colours medieval illuminated codices, modern clothes, militaria, through landscapes illustrating the changing face of Tbilisi and paintings by Pirosmani, to avant-garde art of the 20th century, including the contribution to its development of Polish artists, who tied their lives to this beautiful and unusual country.

The exhibition is presented in the most representative and at the same time the largest Exhibition Hall in the Main Building of the NMK. Their strategic partner is the National Museum in Tbilisi, while the list of objects also includes the collections of other partner institutions, which include the State Museum in Kutaisi, the Museum – Dadiani Palace in Zugdidi, the Archaeological Museum in Batumi and a number of Museums and institutions in Tbilisi: the Palace of Arts, the National Manuscript Centre in Tbilisi and the Tbilisi City Museum. The exhibition is divided into ten sections presenting Georgia as the cradle of world winemaking and, at the same time, the process of creating a social community and state. Fascinating archaeological finds will be demonstrated, including the oldest agricultural tools, evidence of the birth of metallurgy and ancient ceramics.

The section devoted to the Treasures of Colchis documents the importance of the first, intensive contacts between Greece and Georgia, perpetuated in the myth of the Argonauts’ expedition to Colchis, and at the same time the wealth of sophisticated ancient goldsmith’s art. The adoption of Christianity is recalled by magnificent stone steles created many centuries before the new religion arrived to Poland. The exhibition showcases monuments of Georgian writing with various versions of the alphabet, as well as different varieties of musical culture. The nerve of the Georgian state is its capital city, therefore the iconography of the city, its history and transformations is presented with an indication of landmarks, such as the Sioni Cathedral and the Old Bazaar, as depicted on the canvases of avant-garde and orientalist artists and in photography. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to present the work of Polish artists who tied their lives to Georgia, such as Henryk Filipowicz and Henryk Hryniewski. A separate presentation is given to the work of the most famous Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani, who combined motifs related to everyday life and Georgian tradition with a specific stylisation, giving his works a unique, personal stamp. The exhibition closes with a presentation of selected works by avant-garde artists with whom Polish artists, including Zygmunt Waliszewski, were also associated.

The exhibition is available in Cracow from 18 April until 15 September 2024.

More information: https://mnk.pl/exhibitions/golden-fleece-the-art-of-georgia