Shota Metreveli

Professor Shota Metreveli (1913-1983) was born on October 25, 1913, in Borjomi, in the family of a small manufacturer. In 1927, his family moved to Tbilisi. In 1928, he met his future wife Margarita Atskvereli (later Metreveli), at school. In 1932, they both went to Tbilisi State Academy of Art, which Shota Metreveli graduated in 1938. At the Academy, Shota Metreveli studied in the class of renowned Georgian artist, academician Mose Toidze. His teachers also counted such famous artists as Ioseb Charlemagne, David Kakabadze, and Lado Gudiashvili.From 1939, Shota and Margarita Metrevli participated in various group exhibitions of artists, in different cities throughout Georgia, USSR, and Europe. It is noteworthy that their first solo exhibition was held during World War II, in 1944, in Tbilisi, at the State Picture Gallery. Later, they had a number of personal exhibitions.Shota Metreveli’s canvases depict the nature of different parts of Georgia and its architectural monuments. Some of these no longer exist or are damaged, in fact, that makes the artist’s compositions even more valuable.Artist was fond of creating compositions depicting ethnographic life. Therefore much of his work is dedicated to Georgian culture and history expressing different moments in the lives of prominent people.Shota Metreveli also worked fruitfully in the portrait genre. His portraits well express the character of his models.For many years, Meteveli and his wife worked as professors at Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts.He is an Honored Artist of Georgia, and his paintings are kept in the funds of almost all museums of Georgia, as well as in private collections in Georgia, Russia, Europe, and the USA.Shota Metreveli passed away on April 5, 1983. He is buried side-by-side with his wife Margarita at the Mukhatgverdi cemetery of Public Figures in Tbilisi.Lado Gudiashvili, Merab, Shota, and Margarita Metreveli.