How Zurab Tsereteli makes sculptures. Infamous monuments of Zurab Tsereteli

The biography of Zurab Tsereteli is monumental, as is his work. The list of works of this outstanding artist includes hundreds of sculptures, monuments, panels, mosaics, and canvases all over the world; over 40 personal exhibitions of the monumentalist took place. The list of honorary titles, awards, bonuses and other merits of the master is long. Today Zurab Tsereteli lives in Moscow, heads the Russian Academy of Arts and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and continues to work fruitfully.

Childhood and youth

The most famous muralist of our time was born on January 4, 1934 in Tbilisi. The formation of young Zurab on the path of creativity was determined by the atmosphere in which the boy spent his childhood. The parents did not belong to the world of art: mother Tamara Nizharadze devoted her life to home and children, father Konstantin Tsereteli worked as a mining engineer and taught at a technical university.

But his mother’s brother, Georgiy Nizharadze, was a painter. While visiting his house, little Zurab not only learned to draw, but was also imbued with the aura of conversations about art, because leading people of that time came to visit his uncle. At the age of 8, Zurab entered the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, from which he graduated with excellent marks in 1958.

Creation

It seemed that time itself dictated the artist’s development in the style of the monumental genre. The era of the 60s, industrialization, the development of virgin lands, the solution of global problems, mass construction and resettlement - all this was reflected in Tsereteli’s desire to introduce novelty into what he was doing. And the first position - artist-architect - gave me such an opportunity.

Among the works completed at this time were artistic decorations for resort complexes in Georgia (Gagra, Sukhumi, Borjomi, Pitsunda). Mosaic painting becomes a feature of the master’s work. A striking example of this was the bus stops in Abkhazia, created at the stage of early creativity in the early 60s and representing amazing art objects in the form of fantastic sea creatures.

Along with artistic and decorative work, Tsereteli participates in exhibitions. The first success was brought by the painting “Guardian of the World” at the exhibition of the same name in Moscow. In 1967, a personal exhibition of the master took place in Tbilisi. At the same time he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR.

At the same time, Tsereteli is actively expanding the geography of its activities. One by one, orders were received for the design of a wide variety of buildings and structures: the House of Cinema in Moscow (1967-1968), the Palace of Trade Unions in Tbilisi, the Seabed swimming pool in Ulyanovsk (1969), the resort complex in Adler (1973), the hotel " Yalta-Intourist" in Crimea (1978) and much more.

During the 70-80s, the master worked a lot and fruitfully. Since 1970, being the chief artist of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has been involved in the decoration of embassies of the Soviet Union abroad, travels a lot, and meets famous foreign artists. There is also a lot of work at home, especially after being appointed chief artist of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. All this earned the master the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1980.

The artist began working on monumental sculptures back in the late 70s. The bright conclusion of the work was the sculptural composition “Happiness for the Children of the World.” In 1983, the “Friendship Forever” monument was opened in Moscow, marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of St. George between Russia and Georgia.

In the same year, in honor of this date, in his native Georgia, the artist built and opened the Arch of Friendship - a mosaic panel that to this day delights tourists on the Cross Pass near the Georgian Military Road.

The master dedicated a number of sculptures to prominent figures of history and modernity. Among the striking creations of this trend: a monument to the poetess in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie (France) and Moscow, a monument in Apatity, a monument to John Paul II (France), in Moscow.

In 2017, the Alley of Rulers opened in the Russian capital - a gallery of bronze busts by Zurab Tsereteli, depicting the leaders of the Russian state from the era of Rurik to the 1917 revolution.

But the monument involved Tsereteli’s name in a scandal. The capital's public reacted extremely negatively to both the sculpture and the idea of ​​its construction, calling the former, as Izvestia wrote, “disfiguring the city.” The king is depicted at full height, standing on the deck of a giant sailboat.

The question of demolishing the monument was even raised, but today passions have subsided, and the monument continues to stand on an artificial island on the Moscow River, remaining one of the largest in the capital (height - 98 m, weight - over 2000 tons).

Tsereteli is no stranger to being criticized: the master’s works are sometimes accused of gigantomania and bad taste, as was the case, for example, with the “Adam’s Apple”, located in the Art Gallery he opened, or with the “Tree of Fairy Tales” in the Moscow Zoo. The author himself takes this calmly.

Personal life

While still studying at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts, Zurab Tsereteli met his future wife Inessa Andronikashvili, who came from a princely family. The couple have been married for more than 45 years. In 1998, after the death of Inessa Alexandrovna, the artist organized his first personal exhibition in Moscow, named after his wife.

The daughter of Zurab Konstantinovich and Inessa Alexandrovna, Elena, and her children Vasily, Victoria and Zurab live in Moscow. Today there are already four great-grandchildren in the Tsereteli family: Alexander, Nikolai, Philip, Maria Isabella.

Charity

Zurab Tsereteli's life is closely connected with charity. Some of the works were created by the master free of charge, as a gift to one or another city, institution, or foundation.

The artist participates in charity exhibitions and auctions, donating funds from sold works to the fight against childhood diseases.

By the way, in 2007, The Georgian Times included Zurab Tsereteli among the ten richest persons of Georgian nationality in the world, indicating the artist’s fortune at $2 billion.

Zurab Tsereteli today

In 2018, Zurab Konstantinovich turned 84 years old. But the rhythm of creative life does not subside. The master creates, organizes exhibitions, gives master classes for children, gladly participates in interviews and poses for photos, but most importantly, he is full of new ideas and projects. In 2016, the Tsereteli house-museum opened in the village of Peredelkino near Moscow.

In 2014, the muralist became a full holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, receiving the IV degree award. The sculptor calls constant work “without any vacations or vacation breaks” the main secret of health and longevity.

Works

• 1997 - Monument to Peter the Great (Moscow, Russia)
• 1995 - Memorial “Tear of Sorrow” (New Jersey, USA)
• 1983 - Monument “Friendship Forever” (Moscow, Russia)
• 1990 - Monument “Good conquers evil” (New York, USA)
• 2006 - Monument to St. George the Victorious (Tbilisi, Georgia)
• 1995 - Victory Monument on Poklonnaya Hill (Moscow, Russia)
• 1995 - Monument “The Birth of a New Man” (Seville, Spain)
• 1995 - Monument “Tragedy of Nations” (Moscow, Russia)
• 2016 - Monument to Shota Rustaveli (St. Petersburg, Russia)
• 2013 - Sculptural composition dedicated to women (Moscow, Russia)

On January 4, sculptor Zurab Tsereteli turns 82 years old. The foreman celebrates his birthday at the construction site. On the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Puerto Rico, where the final stage of construction of the tallest monument to man on Earth begins. The world has yet to hear about this monument, but we decided to recall the 10 most famous works of Zurab Konstantinovich.

1. Monument “Friendship of Peoples”

In 1983, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the reunification of Georgia with Russia, a “paired” monument was erected in Moscow - the “Friendship of Peoples” monument. This is one of Tsereteli’s most famous early works.

2. Monument “Good conquers Evil”

The sculpture was installed in front of the UN building in New York in 1990 and symbolizes the end of the Cold War.

3. Victory Monument

4. Statue of St. George the Victorious on Poklonnaya Hill

6. Monument to Peter I

Erected in 1997 by order of the Moscow Government on an artificial island at the fork of the Moscow River and the Vodootvodny Canal. The total height of the monument is 98 meters.

7. “Saint George the Victorious”

This sculpture is installed on a 30-meter column on Freedom Square in Tbilisi - St. George is the patron saint of Georgia. The monument was opened in April 2006.

8. "Tear of Sorrow"

Money for a block

How Zurab Tsereteli became a rich artist

“Zurabka” money, Moscow casinos, carriages with copper and an amusement park in which only one person was thoroughly entertained. The magazine “Money” looked into how the sculptor Zurab Tsereteli manages to give cities monuments containing only bronze worth several hundred million rubles.

Residents of St. Petersburg are collecting signatures for a petition against the installation of a monument to Christ in the city Tsereteli. The statue was cast by the sculptor in 2013, has a height of 33 meters - the number of years Christ lived - and was initially intended as a gift to the city of Sochi, but there was no place for it there. Now Tsereteli claims that he sculpted the statue specifically to give it to St. Petersburg, and not just one, but as part of a composition of 17 works, of which 14 are eight-meter monuments to members of the Romanov royal family.

Not only the secular community, but also representatives of the House of Romanov and even the Russian Orthodox Church spoke out against Christ, which is larger than even the monument in Rio de Janeiro (it is without a pedestal - only 30 meters). The latter reported that in Christianity there is no practice of worshiping monuments.

Dengi magazine, for its part, does not undertake to discuss ethical or artistic aspects, but is impressed by the cost of the gift. The sculptors we interviewed calculated that, according to the most conservative estimates, without logistics, installation and pedestals, the cost of 17 sculptures is 320 million rubles. Generous, considering that just a month earlier, another gift from Tsereteli to the people was installed - a 92-meter monument to Columbus in Puerto Rico. Also, probably millions 150 spent. However, the biography of the most successful Russian sculptor proves that it is impossible to become poor by giving out such gifts.

The prospect of being a poor artist never captivated Zurab Tsereteli.

Like Titian

Many years ago, answering a journalist’s question, Zurab Tsereteli said that he never wanted to be a poor artist, but wanted to be, for example, like Titian, who “was adored by the entire Venetian Senate, all of Venice, all foreign emperors.”

As you know, Titian was indecently rich, organized luxurious balls in his palazzo, and spiteful critics who did not attend these balls wrote about him as “the most greedy of people ever created by nature.”

Zurab Tsereteli, whose newspaper The Georgian Times included in the top ten in 2007 richest Georgians in the world with condition assessment $2 billion., in fact, succeeded more than Titian: he practically does not even have ill-wishers. Thanks to his charm and ability to negotiate, he survived several generations of power as a “court” sculptor and did not lose his.

Zurab Tsereteli received the title of “Georgian millionaire” already in the 70s, and there is a charming legend that the 50-ruble bill at that time in Georgia was called "zurabka", because the young sculptor did not accept less than money. Fortune came to him simply: having early headed the monumental section of the Union of Artists of Georgia, Zurab Konstantinovich gained access to orders for the design of the main party health resorts. His sculptures, as well as mosaic and decorative panels, decorated Gagra, Sukhumi, Borjomi, Adler, Sochi, Miskhor and Pitsunda.

The first scandal in his biography occurred in Pitsunda. There were rumors that the OBKhSS Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Georgian SSR had claims against the sculptor: allegedly the estimate of the work was unreasonably inflated. But the bamboo curtains let Tsereteli down: according to the documents, they were designed as unique works of art.

But everything worked out well: Tsereteli had high-ranking patrons quite early on, among whom was the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Georgian SSR, Eduard Shevardnadze, and Mikhail Posokhin, chief architect of Moscow.

Friendship with the latter, by the way, grew into kinship: Tsereteli’s daughter married Posokhin’s son, also not the last person in the architectural environment of Moscow. Since 1993, he has headed Mosproekt-2, which, with the light hand of architectural critic Grigory Revzin, was nicknamed "court workshop" Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. In the “Luzhkov era,” of course, the transformation of a millionaire into a billionaire began.

The fact that Tsereteli was involved in two Moscow casinos in the early 90s became known only recently.

Casino and copper

In mid-July this year, a thief in law was arrested in Moscow Shakro Molodoy(Zakharia Kalashova), and as a result, many stories came to light. One of them concerns Tsereteli. As it turned out, already in the mid-90s, he, together with an American of Georgian origin, Alex Crane, and a former employee of the USSR Ministry of Defense, Karlen Azizbekyan, were co-owners of two Moscow casinos - Crystal and Golden Palace. It is assumed that in 2000, Shakro’s gang took away both casinos from entrepreneurs, and Tsereteli’s lawyer Vladimir Dukhnov and Alex Crane were killed.

Another “dashing” episode attributed to Tsereteli dates back to the early 90s. We are talking about a sculpture of Columbus - most likely, about the same Columbus who has just happily taken root in Puerto Rico. In 1992, he was just beginning his difficult journey: Russia wanted to give him to the United States. In this regard, Luzhkov asked Boris Yeltsin to exempt materials for the composition from customs duties. Columbus was supposed to be sculpted from bronze.

But customs workers, who opened the cars coming from the Uralelectromed plant near Yekaterinburg, found there 85 thousand tons of copper, which accounted for 10% of Russia's annual copper exports. A criminal case was opened into the matter of smuggling, but the investigation did not discover Tsereteli’s selfish interest.

In two years "the case of the Russian statue" was already discussed in Spain: the Moscow City Hall presented the figure of Goliath by Tsereteli as a gift to the Spanish city of Marbella. Some time later, a member of the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party Isabel Garcia Marquez stated that in fact it was not a gift at all. The mayor of Marbella, Jesús Gil, was accused of paying for the statue from a budget of about $1 million., but not directly. Luzhkov and Tsereteli allegedly received payment in land plots, which the sculptor later exchanged for apartments in the Los Granados cottage community.

However, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo again asserted that the statue was only tip of the iceberg, but in fact it was a screen, under the cover of which copper and bronze were smuggled out of Russia. Spanish law enforcement agencies opened a criminal case on these charges; it was not the only one against the mayor of Marbella - in total he was accused in 70 criminal cases. A few years later, the “case of the Russian statue” was dropped: the materials on Gil’s cases were stolen, and the Spanish employee, who was accused of stealing the materials, died under mysterious circumstances.

Getting into Luzhkov’s “court sculptors” was undoubtedly Tsereteli’s great creative success. The sculptor had not just friendship with Yuri Mikhailovich, but also (as with the Soviet patron Posokhin) almost kinship: Tsereteli is the godfather of his daughter Olga, born in 1994. The sculptor personally sculpted Luzhkov twice: once in the image of a janitor (according to Tsereteli, this is very symbolic, since the work of a janitor is similar to the work of a mayor), the second time in the image of an athlete who simultaneously plays football and tennis. Both sculptures are in the Tsereteli Gallery on Prechistenka.

Victory Monument on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. Installed in 1995. Height 141.8 meters (1 decimeter for each day of the war)

Orders in Moscow- one larger than the other - fell on the sculptor as if from a cornucopia. Tsereteli supervised the creation of a memorial complex on Poklonnaya Hill, participated in the reconstruction of the Moscow Zoo, but most of all, of course, Muscovites will remember three things - the reconstruction of Manezhnaya Square, the construction of a monument to Peter I and the project to recreate the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Unlike its predecessors (Columbus in America and Goliath in Marbella), the monument to Peter I was not a gift to Moscow; it was made by order of the Moscow government. It doesn’t matter that the townspeople pushed away the gift with all their might. It was paid from the budget 100 billion. non-denominated rubles ( $16.5 million.) for the creation and installation of the monument.

Regarding the fees requested by Tsereteli for the work of the craftsmen on the decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the first cat ran between him and the mayor. Having heard the amount requested for the work (to begin with, Tsereteli demanded $1.2 billion.), Luzhkov expressed his readiness to quit his job for that kind of money and personally climb the scaffolding with a brush.

Also noteworthy is the story of how, through the efforts of Tsereteli, they tried to decorate the temple with synthetic materials. Luzhkov assured that no money would be spared on marble for the sculptures, but Tsereteli began to promote the idea of ​​​​using the material decorative, which other experts stubbornly called plastic.

Monument to PeterI on an artificial island on the Moscow River. Installed in 1997 to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the city. Height – 98 meters

In the case of KhHS, we managed to fight off plastic: mainly bronze was used in the design, but this idea was successfully implemented on a large scale in the next project - a shopping complex "Okhotny Ryad". Actually, the architect initially won the competition for the reconstruction of Manezhnaya Square Boris Ulkin, which proposed creating an entire underground city on the square with a museum, theater, cinema and children's play center. But then Ulkin somehow disappeared from the project, and Mosproekt-2, headed by his son-in-law, took over it Tsereteli.

As a result, cultural institutions also disappeared from the project, leaving only one shopping complex. In terms of construction costs, it became one of the most expensive in the world - a square meter cost $5 thousand., which cannot be said about its decoration: the historical decor of Okhotny Ryad was made of plastic.

After the ball

Relations between Luzhkov and Tsereteli began to deteriorate even before the mayor’s resignation. In 2007, the Moscow government took away 330 hectares of land in Nizhnye Mnevniki from the Children's Miracle Park Foundation established by Tsereteli. The site was allocated to the foundation in 1994 for indefinite use for the construction of a “Russian Disneyland”, but for 13 years neither the park nor investors appeared in the project. But, as the deputy head of Rosprirodnadzor Oleg Mitvol said in 2007, a gas station, an Ermak restaurant, and a bike club were built on the site Sexton, cement plant and market. At the same time, the fund, leasing plots to third-party companies, enjoyed land tax benefits. Tax officials demanded additional payment from him 800 million rubles. tax, but the fund managed to challenge this in court.

Monument "The Birth of a New Man" in Seville. Installed in 1995. Height 45 meters

As the Kommersant newspaper wrote, Tsereteli was going to build a shopping complex in Nizhny Mnevniki. The sculptor intended to involve the largest Moscow developers in the project - God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev, who own, in particular, the European shopping center and the Ukraine hotel. Tsereteli was associated with businessmen during the construction of the “European”: the sculptor was a co-founder of the Kyiv Ploshchad CJSC (12% share), which was the customer and investor in the construction of the shopping complex.

To develop Mnevniki, City of Miracles LLC was created in 2005: according to SPARK, the Children's Miracle Park Foundation was its co-owner, and God Nisanov was its general director.

The partners did not have time to implement their plans, and soon the Moscow era of Tsereteli ended completely: in 2010, Luzhkov was removed with the wording “due to loss of trust.” Tsereteli, unlike his patron, did not lose either his trust or his fortune.

He remains the owner of several buildings in Moscow. So, the sculptor occupies several buildings on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya. The house at number 15 was given to him back in the 90s for housing and a workshop. The neighboring buildings (numbered 1 and 3), which are listed as the Museum of Modern Art, created “under Tsereteli” under Luzhkov, are also owned by the sculptor. He also owns three other museum buildings - on Petrovka, Ermolaevsky Lane and Tverskoy Boulevard.

Monument "Tear of Sorrow" in the city of Bayonne in the USA. Installed in 2006 in memory of the victims of September 11. Height 30 meters

Social movement "Arkhnadzor" several years ago, Tsereteli found a mansion on Volkov Lane - restoration was being carried out illegally in the historical building. However, according to Arkhnadzor, today it is almost completed.

The sculptor was also found to have buildings in Tovarishchesky Lane and on Bryanskaya Street - the city authorities sued Tsereteli due to the fact that in the first case he illegally carried out reconstruction, and in the second he illegally built a jewelry store, pharmacy and cafe, although the site was only provided for rent.

The capital authorities filed a lawsuit against Zurab Tsereteli

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Childhood and family

Tsereteli Sr. took part in the Great Patriotic War. For excellent service he was awarded orders, medals and commendations. But due to injury, he was transferred to the reserve with the rank of colonel. After the war, Konstantin Ivanovich Tsereteli took part in the restoration of destroyed objects. At the same time, he taught at the Polytechnic Institute in Tbilisi.

Zurab's mother, Nizharadze Tamara Semyonovna, came from a princely family. She devoted her entire life to raising her children, as is customary in the Caucasus. Zurab grew up in an environment of artistic creativity. His uncle, his mother’s brother, Georgiy Nizharadze, a famous painter, constantly took his nephew to his house. Here George introduced the boy Zurab to cultural figures, Georgian artists: David Kakabadze, Sergo Kobuladze, Ucha Japaridze, Apollo Kutateladze, Chiko Kazbegi, Dursun Imnashvili. Communication with such a contingent of people did not pass without a trace for Zurab Tsereteli.

During lessons at school, young Zurab drew a lot. In many of his works, even then, a feeling of belonging to history, to the life of the country arose. Often during the summer holidays, Tsereteli went to Western Georgia to visit his grandmother; she lived in the village of Gubi. Here the future artist saw folk culture, the beauty of everyday objects, and the diversity of nature. Only in Gubi did Zurab feel free without the bustle of the city. He was amazed by the variety of colors that were impossible to see in Tbilisi. All this formed the foundation of creativity for the artist.

Academy of Arts

In his free time, Zurab Tsereteli visited museums, where he studied the exhibits on display. He traveled a lot, learned new things, rode horses a lot, walked a lot. Tsereteli, in order to get to know nature better, listened to the murmur of mountain rivers and remembered the smell of the earth. Thus, Tsereteli went around the places that attracted artists: Kakheti, Imereti, Tusheti, Svaneti, Racha, Khevsureti, Abkhazia, Adjara, Guria.

All this played an important role in the development of Zurab Konstantinovich as an artist. In 1958, the artist graduated from the Academy of Arts. His diploma work was “Song of Tbilisi”. But she was not allowed to defend herself due to “elements of conditionality.” Tsereteli had to change the topic of his diploma, and in a couple of weeks he painted a new painting, “Portrait of an Athlete.” The work was highly appreciated.

Works of Zurab Tsereteli

In the 60s, Zurab Tsereteli quickly took a position in Soviet art. Once the architect Shota Kalandarishvili gave Zurab the task of painting a children's cinema in Tbilisi. The artist felt a child’s fantasy, where there are fairy tales and fiction, but the painting was not done in real life.

Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery

Zurab was interested in the architects who were working on the creation of a large resort complex in Pitsunda. It was Tsereteli who was invited as the main artist of this unique object. In this work he appeared as a muralist. All Zurab Tsereteli in Pitsunda became a new step in the development of monumental art in Russia.

This was followed by large mosaic works by the artist Tsereteli in many regions of Georgia. The famous work was the mosaic panel “Man, Labor - the Meaning and Beauty of Life,” located on the facade of the Palace of Culture of Trade Unions. Then the decorative design of the restaurant in Tbilisi “Aragvi” appeared. This work was awarded the State Prize. Zurab Tsereteli took part in the design of the Borjomi resort. In the 70s, the sculptor participated in the creation of Victory Park in Tbilisi; his work “Banners” is hung in the park on a tiled wall. Zurab Konstantinovich also worked in Adler on a monumental complex. The artist used a new technique of working with metal. He developed techniques that allowed him to create large reliefs. Tsereteli drew a relief on sheet copper, then hammered it out, and then cut out all the figures and pushed them forward. The relief was large and clearly visible from a great distance.

Zurab Tsereteli and his work

Works were made using new technology: the monument in Abashi, the composition “Colchis”, “Man and the Sun”, “Ties of Friendship”. Zurab Tsereteli took part in the creation of the Izmailovo hotel complex in Moscow. The sculptor is widely known abroad. He was personally acquainted with Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, David Siqueiros, and met with Robert Rauschenberg, Kenzo Tange and many other famous artists and architects of the 20th century. Politicians and cultural figures who came from various countries of the world visited his workshops and continue to visit them. Tsereteli worked in different countries of the world. He designed the interior of the USSR Mission to the UN in New York. A huge panel “Moscow the capital, my Moscow” made of stainless steel decorates the embassy hall in Tokyo. In the USA, the success of Tsereteli's works was enormous. The creator worked as a teacher at the Faculty of Arts. For Tsereteli's teaching work, Tsereteli created monumental works in Moscow.

He took part in the restoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. According to representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, Zurab Tsereteli brilliantly completed all the tasks assigned to him, and the appearance of the elements of the artistic decoration of the temple he recreated corresponds to the old ones.

Awards

Personal life of Zurab Tsereteli

Sculptor, President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli was born on January 4, 1934 in Tbilisi (Georgia).

In 1958 he graduated from the painting department of the Tbilisi Academy of Arts.

After graduating from the Academy of Arts, he was hired by the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Georgian Academy of Sciences as an artist-architect.

In 1963-1964 he worked as a senior foreman in the design workshop of the Tbilisi Art and Production Plant of the Georgian Art Fund. During this period, he became the artistic director and chairman of the monumental section of the Union of Artists of Georgia.

Since the late 1960s, Tsereteli began to actively work in the field of monumental art.

In 1967 he became the main artist of Georgian resorts. He designed resort complexes in Pitsunda, Gagra, Sukhumi, Borjomi. In the same year, the first personal exhibition of Zurab Tsereteli was held in Tbilisi.

In 1967-1968 he worked on the design of the House of Cinema in Moscow, in 1969 he created mosaic compositions in the Palace of Trade Unions in Tbilisi, and the mosaic pool "Sea Bottom" in the memorial complex in Ulyanovsk.

In 1970-1980 he was the chief artist of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 1979 he was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Arts, and in 1980 he was appointed chief artist of the XXII Olympic Games in Moscow.

In 1981-1982, he was the artistic director of monumental and decorative art of the Georgian Art Fund, and headed the creative workshop of monumental art of the USSR Academy of Arts in Tbilisi.

In 1983-1985 he headed the department of monumental and decorative art at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts.

In 1987, he was elected chairman of the Georgian Union of Designers, and in 1990-1992 he served as academician-secretary of the design department of the USSR Academy of Arts.

In 1992 he became president of the Moscow International Fund for UNESCO.

In 1994 he was appointed vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts (RAA), and in 1996 - acting. O. President of the Russian Academy of Arts, has headed the Academy since 1997.
Zurab Tsereteli participated in a number of architectural and monumental projects: in 1993-1995 he headed the project to create a memorial complex on Poklonnaya Hill; in 1994-1999, he provided artistic direction and coordination of work on the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior; in 1996, he worked on creating an artistic concept for the design of the Moscow Zoo; in 1997 he developed the overall artistic and design solution for Manezhnaya Square.

In 1998, the first personal exhibition of Zurab Tsereteli in Moscow, “Dedicated to Inessa,” was held at the Small Manege. In 2007, the artist had a personal exhibition in the exhibition halls of UNESCO headquarters (Paris). Tsereteli’s personal exhibitions were also held in Brisbane (Australia, 2007), Harbin (PRC, 2008), Plovdiv (Bulgaria, 2009), New York (2010), Paris (2010), Palermo and Rome (2011).

In 1999, Tsereteli initiated the creation of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, took over as its director and donated his personal collection of 20th-century art to the museum. In 2001 he opened the museum and exhibition complex Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery.

The artist’s monumental works are located in Russia, Georgia, the USA, Spain, France, Italy and many other countries of the world. Among the most famous works of the master: the compositions “Happiness to the Children of the World” (Brockport, USA, 1979), “Good Conquers Evil” (New York, 1990), “The Birth of a New Man” (Seville, Spain, 1995), monuments “300 years of the Russian Navy. Peter I" (Moscow, 1997), Nikolai Gogol (Rome, 2002), Nicholas the Wonderworker (Bari, Italy, 2003), Princess Olga (Pskov, 2003), General De Gaulle (Moscow, 2005), Akhmad Kadyrov (Grozny, 2005), St. George the Victorious (Tbilisi, 2006), Pope John Paul II (Ploermel, France, 2006), Oleg Ryazansky (Ryazan, 2007).

Zurab Tsereteli is the author of the Monument dedicated to the fight against international terrorism (Bayonne, USA, 2006), compositions - “Ipatiev Night” (Moscow, 2007), “Wives of the Decembrists. Gates of Fate” (Moscow, 2008), “Musketeers” (Condom, France, 2010), "Mimino" (Tbilisi, 2011), monuments to Marina Tsvetaeva (Saint-Gilles Croix de Vie, France, 2012), Pyotr Stolypin (Oktyabrsky, Ulyanovsk region, 2012), Founders of the European Union (Metz, France, 2012), To the Apostle Paul (Beria, Greece, 2013).

Tsereteli is a professor at leading domestic and foreign universities - Tbilisi Academy of Arts, Brockport University of Fine Arts (USA, 1979), Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov (2004).

Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Madrid, 1998). Corresponding member of the French Academy of Fine Arts (2002). Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2009).

Member of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine (2011). Full member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences.

Since 2006, Zurab Tsereteli has been a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. Member of the commission for the development of charity and volunteerism, as well as for culture and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage.

Zurab Tsereteli - People's Artist of the USSR and the Russian Federation (1979, 1993), UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador (1996), Hero of Socialist Labor (1991). Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1976), State Prizes of the USSR (1978, 1983) and the Russian Federation (1996), Picasso Prize (1994), State Prize of Georgia (2004).

Knight of the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1994) and Order of Merit to the Fatherland, III, II and I degrees (1996, 2006, 2010).

For his contribution to culture and art he was awarded the Vermeil Medal (France, 1998), the Order of Gabriela Mistral (Chile, 2002), the Order of Arts and Letters (France, 2005), and the Gold Medal of Honor of the National Society of the Arts of the USA (2010).

Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor of France (2010), Order of Civil Merit (Spain, 2012), Imperial Order of St. Anne (Russia, 2013).

Zurab Tsereteli was married to Inessa Andronikashvili (died in 1998).

The sculptor has a daughter Elena (born in 1959), three grandchildren - Vasily (1978), Zurab (1987) and Victoria (2000), great-grandchildren: Alexander (2003), Nikolai (2005), Philip (2008) and Maria Isabella (2009) ).

The material was prepared based on information from open sources