Mirian Shvelidze

Mirian Shvelidze (; 1 January 1947 – 9 February 2022) was a Georgian artist who designed over 100 theatrical plays at the Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi and at theatres in Moscow, Kyiv, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Athens, Kutaisi, and Batumi. He was also a painter, and his work has been featured in modern art exhibitions. and "King Lear".

Early life Shvelidze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Unlike many artists, he was not immersed in art and design from an early age. His father was an average working-class man and his mother was a housewife; neither had any particular passion for art. During his childhood, his brother played the violin and his sister played the piano. Mirian, however, took an interest in drawing, which was not viewed as highly as musical pursuits at the time. He joined a small art club at school, through which he was able to interact with like-minded students. He switched to the art faculty and started working on independent themes.

In 1971, Shvelidze graduated from the Tbilisi Art Academy.

Rustaveli Theatre One day while still at university, Shvelidze was visited by friends who were artists at the Rustaveli Theatre. Upon seeing some of the works he had created for his dissertation, these friends offered him a position as an artist at the theatre. Had it not been for this chance meeting, Shvelidze has said, he might have pursued a different type of art.

Famous works

"Kvarkvare" (1973) "A Woman's Burden" (1977) "Shushanikis Martviloba" (1978) "Lord of Darkness" (1979) "Richard III" (1979) "A Wonderful Georgian Woman" (1981) "King Lear" (1987) "Life Is a Dream" (1992) "Szechuanese King Person" (1993) "Iakob's Testament" (1994) "Lamara" (1996) "Is He a Human This Man" (2000) "Hamlet" (2001) "Waiting for Godot" (2002) "Darispan's Misfortunes" (2006) "The Broken Jug" (2015)

Awards and Accolades In 1980, Shvelidze was named an Achieved Artist of Georgia. A year later, he received a design award from the Rustaveli Theatre for his work on a production of William Shakespeare's "Richard III". In 1981 he was awarded the Shota Rustaveli Prize.

He was named a chief artist at the Rustaveli Theatre in 1996. That same year, he received a State Award and a Gold Award Grand Prize from the Rustavi International Festival for his work on a production of "Macbeth".

In 1997, he received the King Abashidze Award for his work on a production of the opera "Absalom and Eteri". In 1998, he received the grand prize for artistic design from the Baltic House Festival Theatre in Saint Petersburg.