Merab Berdzenishvili

Georgian sculptor (1929–2016)

Merab Berdzenishvili (June 10, 1929 – September 17, 2016) was a Georgian sculptor and artist.

Berdzenishvili received multiple awards during his career including People’s Artist of the Soviet Union (1987).^[1] In 1995 he was awarded the State Prize of Georgia for the monument commemorating the battle of Didgori.^[2]

In 2009, one of his largest works, a monument commemorating the Great Patriotic War, was demolished to make way for the Georgian Parliament Building in Kutaisi. During the demolition, a mother and her daughter were killed by flying masonry.^[3] Later that year, the sculpture was reconstructed in Moscow.^[4]

References

^ "Berdzenishvili Merab". art.gov.ge. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
^ "მერაბ ბერძენიშვილი – ბიოგრაფია". ბურუსი - BURUSI (in Georgian). 25 March 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
^ "Soviet-Era Monument Demolished In Georgia". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
^ "Mayor: Georgian Monument To Be Rebuilt". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2023.