Alibegashvili Gaiane

(1922, vill. Stepantsminda – 1997, Tbilisi) 

Art Historian, Prof. Dr. (1975; 1976), Honoured Scientist of Georgia (1987). In 1944 she graduated from the Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Languages and Literature and in 1948 she finished her post-graduate studies at the Institute of History of Georgian Art. She started to work at the same Institute in 1949 and since 1985 was the Head of the Medieval Fine Arts Department. Since 1968 she lectured at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts. 

G. Alibegashvili studied medieval Georgian mural and icon painting, book illumination, medieval Georgian sculpture and contemporary Georgian fine arts. Of utmost significance are her monographs on the medieval Georgian secular portraiture, book illumination, painting school of Svaneti, Georgian scenography. She participated in the international symposia on Georgian art and symposia on relations of the Georgian and Byzantine art, in international congresses of Byzantinists. 

  1. Four Portraits of Queen Tamar, Tbilisi, 1957;
  2. D. Kakabadze, Tbilisi, 1958;
  3. Creation of Ucha Japaridze, Ars Georgica, vol. 5, Tbilisi, 1959;
  4. Murals of King’s Painter Tevdore in Zemo Svaneti (co-authors N. Aladashvili, A. Volskaya), Tbilisi, 1956;
  5. Four Portraits of Queen Tamar, “Dzeglis Megobari”, N8, 1966;
  6. An Artist in the Theatre and Cinema, “Sabchota Khelovneba”, N3, 1966;
  7. Wall Painting of St. George Church in Bochorma, “Dzeglis Megobari”, N9, Tbilisi, 1967;
  8. An Artistic Principle of Illustration of a Georgian Manuscript Book – the 11th –beginning of 13th cc, Tbilisi, 1973;
  9. Performance Settings at the Shota Rustaveli and Kote Marjanishvili Theaters, Ars Georgica, vol. 7 (B), Tbilisi, 1976;
  10. Artistic Tendencies in Georgian Medieval Painting (About the Issue of a Secular Portrait in Georgian Monumental Painting), XIV International Congress of Byzantine Art Historians in Bucharest, 1971 (Actes du XIV congres international des etudes Byzantines. Bucqarest);
  11. Shakespeare in Creation of Georgian Theater Artists, “Sabchota Khelovneba”, N3, 1977;
  12. Georgian Theater-Scenery Art, II International Symposium of Georgian Art in Tbilisi, in Russian and French, Tbilisi, 1977;
  13. Monuments of Medieval Easel Painting in Zemo Svaneti, collected articles “Medieval Art. Russia, Georgia”, Moscow, 1978;
  14. Byzantium, Christian East and Formation of Local Artistic Traditions in Medieval Miniature Painting of Georgia and Armenia, II International Symposium of Armenian Art in Yerevan, in Russian, in collected articles, vol. 4, 1978;
  15. Georgian Chased and Painted Icons, co-author T. Sakvarelidze, Tbilisi, 1979 (II edition – 1994);
  16. A Secular Portrait in the Medieval Painting of Georgia, Tbilisi, 1979;
  17. A Portable Mosaic Icon of St. George from Zemo Svaneti, Ars Georgica, vol. 8, Tbilisi, 1979;
  18. The Icons of Georgia (chapter 2 in the book: Kurt Weitzman, Gaiane Alibegashvili, Aneli Volskaya, Manolis Chatsidakis, Gordana Babic, Michael Alpatov, Teodore Voinescu. The Icon, Amoldo Mondadori Editore, Milano-Mladinska Knijga, Lubiana, 1981-1982, in Italian, French, English, German and Serbian languages;
  19. La miniature et le icone dipinte. La sculptura (chapters 4 and 5 in the book: Gaiane Alibegashvili, Vakhtang Beridze, Aneli Volskaya, Leila Khuskivadze: I tesore della Georgiana, Amoldo Mondadori, Milano-Mladinska Knijga, Lubiana, 1983;
  20. Development Stages of the Medieval Georgian Miniature (IV International Symposium of Georgian Art, Tbilisi, 1983, in Georgian and French);
  21. Svaneti Art School (co-authors N. Aladashvili, A. Volskaya), Tbilisi, 1983;
  22. Rediscovered Monument of Georgian Icon Painting, Ars Georgica, vol. 9(A), Tbilisi, 1987;
  23. Wall Painting of the Main Church of Dormition of the Virgin in Vardzia, collected articles “Caves of Georgia, Speleistics, Architecture, Painting, Ceramics, Fabric”, Tbilisi, 1988;
  24. Symbolism and Theme of a Secular Portrait in the Medieval Georgian Monumental Sculpture, Ars Georgica, vol. 10(A), Tbilisi, 1991;
  25. Deux triptyques d’Oubissi: Icones Georgiennes du style des Paleologues. Byzantine Art and Latin West. Art Historical Studies in Honour of Kurt Weitzman, Princeton University, 1995.