About the artist:

Born in 1959 in the Black Sea coastal town of Ochamchiri, the artist grew up in a patriarchal but adventurous environment where he spent his childhood climbing mountains and staging river fights. His imagination was permanently captured by the annual visits of the Moscow Circus, whose vibrant clowns and acrobats eventually became recurring subjects in his paintings. After his talents were recognized in school, he attended the Sukhumi School of Art, where he was mentored by Givi Ghergaya and introduced to the then-unofficial world of early 20th-century French art.

He furthered his education at St. Petersburg’s Mukhin Institute, balancing his formal studies with hours spent at the Hermitage copying European Old Masters and Impressionists. His professional breakthrough arrived during Perestroika; while working as a street portrait artist, he was discovered by an Italian gallery owner, sparking an international career that led to solo shows across Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and London. Over the last 25 years, his work has entered prestigious global collections—including those of Luciano Pavarotti, Madonna, and Gérard Depardieu—and he notably won an international competition to paint two massive panels for the Queen Mary 2 cruise liner.