“Untitled”, Oil on canvas, 1989.

198 x 207.5 cm.

PROVENANCE Private collection, Georgia

Note:

This work, executed in 1989, belongs to a formative moment in the emergence of Georgian contemporary art, created on the eve of profound political and cultural transformation in the late Soviet period. The composition exemplifies Iliko Zautashvili’s distinctive approach, characterised by a synthesis of abstraction and symbolic form, articulated through a restrained palette and intricate surface treatment.

Marked by a refined interplay of structure and material, the painting reflects the artist’s exploration of visual language at a time of significant artistic and social transition. Zautashvili’s work from this period is distinguished by its balance between formal control and expressive depth, situating it within the broader development of post-Soviet artistic practice.

The present work was introduced to European audiences in the landmark exhibitions Georgia On My Mind at DuMont Kunsthalle, Cologne, and Museum Fridericianum, Kassel (1989–1990), which played a crucial role in presenting Georgian artists internationally. Subsequently held for many years in a distinguished private collection in France, the painting remained largely unseen before its recent return to Georgia.