The Georgian National Gallery will host a large-scale exhibition of Thamar de Létay-Vachnadze, the emigrant Georgian artist who created several sketches for the French fashion house Dior in the 20th century, for the first time in the country.

The exhibition of more than 30 paintings, 300 sketches and 200 archival photographs, including theatre and book paintings, graphics and collages, as well as children’s marionettes, will take up the space at the Art Gallery in Tbilisi.

Painting by Thamar de Létay-Vachnadze. Photo via art.gov.ge

While creating sketches for Christian Dior in the 50s of the 20th century, the Georgian artist worked as a theatre artist in the Brazilian city of São Paulo. As the archive documents said Thamar had also “created ballet productions - wrote scenarios, selected music, painted scenery, created costumes and technical details that made the spectacle unforgettable for the audience”.

In the 1960s and 80s, the works of the Georgian artist were showcased in various galleries in the French capital of Paris.

Sketches for Christian Dior by Thamar de Létay-Vachnadze. Photo via art.gov.ge

The works and personal archive of de Létay-Vachnadze were brought from a commune Lampaul-Plouarzel in Brittany in northwestern France to the Art Palace of Georgia - Museum of Cultural History in 2022, as a result of the agreement with the artist’s descendants and the Georgian Culture Ministry.

The National Gallery will host visitors for the exhibition from November 19 to December 16.

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