Niko Pirosmani - Hatje Cantz

A vertically oriented book with a grey cover against a white background. The cover features a black-and-white illustration of the hindquarters of a farm animal, possibly a bull, with its tail and back legs visible. The words Fondation Beyeler are written in white on the animal's flank.

A close-up photograph of a two-page spread in an open book. The left page displays a vintage black-and-white photograph of men at an outdoor feast above a colorful, naive-style painting of a similar scene. The right page consists of columns of German text.

An open art book viewed from above against a white background. The right page features a naive-style painting of a woman with dark hair in a short white dress and striped stockings, holding a bouquet of white flowers. She stands in a dark field under a bright blue sky with three yellow birds in flight. The left page is mostly blank with the title Die Schauspielerin Margarita.

An open art book on a white surface. The left page shows a full-page reproduction of a painting by Niko Pirosmanashvili depicting a man with a beard in a dark coat and hat, riding a donkey. The right page features an essay in German about the artwork.

A book with a grey cover titled Niko Pirosmani, shown at an angle on a white background. The cover features a stark, black, painterly illustration of a wild boar. The spine also lists the title and Fondation Beyeler.

An open book in German, with a white background and black text. The left page lists acknowledgements and sponsors for an exhibition. The right page displays the table of contents for a book about the artist Niko Pirosmani, with chapter titles, author names, and page numbers.

A two-page spread from a book with German text on the right. On the left are two historical, black-and-white photographs of Tbilisi, Georgia, from around 1900. The top image is a panoramic view of the city at the base of a mountain. The bottom image shows a bustling street scene at a caravanserai with a camel, people in traditional dress, and buildings with ornate balconies.

A two-page spread from a publication about the artist Niko Pirosmani. The left page features a black-and-white photographic portrait of a man with dark hair and a thick mustache. The right page contains his biography written in German.

A two-page spread from a book in German, showing text on the left page. The right page features a black-and-white photo of a general store in Tbilisi circa 1900 at the top, and a colorful, old painted sign for Kakhetian wine with Georgian and Cyrillic script at the bottom.

A two-page spread from a book. The left page, numbered 32, displays an index in French and a small yellow illustration of a reclining animal. The right page, numbered 33, shows a block of text in German with the heading NIKO PIROSMANSCHWILI (1926).

A book open to a two-page spread, showing a folk art style painting on the right page. The painting, set against a dark background, depicts a fisherman with a mustache standing in water. He wears a yellow hat, a vibrant red shirt, and blue pants, while holding a large fish in one hand and a green bucket in the other. The left page has the caption Fischer in rotem Hemd.

A two-page book spread. The right page displays a stylized painting of a yellow and orange lion sitting on grass against a dark, leafy background. The lion has large, glowing red eyes and looks to its left. The left page is mostly blank, with the German caption Sitzender gelber Löwe at the bottom.

A still life painting in a naive style against a black background, depicting a lavish spread of food. The composition includes several large, whole fish, one cut open to reveal its skeleton, a roasted chicken, a suckling pig, meat skewers, bottles of wine, hanging game, and various fruits and vegetables.

A two-page book spread. The left page has the German text Amme mit Kind. The right page features a folk art-style painting of a woman standing against a black background. She wears a white headscarf, a blue top, and a white apron, and is breastfeeding a swaddled baby in a bonnet.

An open book spread showing two nearly identical folk art paintings. Each painting features a woman with light-colored hair reclining on her side, partially covered by a white sheet. A small yellow bird is perched on her shoulder, and the background is black with stylized flowers.

A book open to pages 140 and 141. The left page is mostly blank with the German text Drei Hirsche an der Quelle at the bottom. The right page features an oil painting of three white deer in a dark, green forest. A doe drinks from a stream as a small fawn stands beside her, while a large stag with antlers watches from the background.

Two horizontal Georgian folk art paintings are displayed one above the other. The top painting shows men in traditional dress having a picnic in a sprawling rural landscape with a village and a church. The bottom painting depicts a feast during the wine harvest, with a man treading grapes, a group dining outdoors, and a person in a bear costume walking with a child.

An open art book page. On the left is a painting of a reddish-brown doe bending down to drink from a stream in a dark, leafy forest. On the right page is a block of German text with the heading REH AM BACH.

Niko Pirosmani

€ 58.00

VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout

Edited by: Sam Keller und Daniel Baumann für die Fondation Beyeler

Graphic Design: Dan Solbach

Texts by: Daniel Baumann, Thea Djordjadze, Mariam Dvali, Irine Jorjadze, Nana Kipiani, Grigol Robakidse, Demna Schengelaia, Kirill Sdanewitsch, Ana Shanshiashvili, Nino Tarischwili, Andro Wekua

German

September 2023, 200 Pages, 84 Photos

Paperback

230mm x 300mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5513-9

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

Press download

A Legendary Artist Revisited

Unknown to many, Niko Pirosmani is revered as a legend in his native Georgia. Conveying a sense of poignant empathy, his portraits, animal paintings, landscapes and scenes from everyday life painted around 1900 in a flourishing Tbilisi draw on medieval iconography and testify to a deeply felt sense of belonging. At the same time, the avant-garde recognised a novel and radically new form of painting in his work. Like Henri Rousseau or Marc Chagall, Pirosmani is one of the exceptional yet difficult to categorize proponents of early modern art. This catalogue demonstrates Pirosmani's qualities in numerous illustrations, showing how his rapid brushstrokes on black oilcloth give the sparsely applied colors a glow as if coming from a dark depth. Pirosmani was a master of concentration―and a storyteller. As expertly explained in the catalogue by a selection of Georgian art historians, he was a unique artist, a contradictory figure and an important part of the art scene in Tbilisi, then considered the "Paris of the East."

This book is also available in English.

Born into a peasant family, NIKO PIROSMANI (1862 - 1918) arrived in Tbilisi in 1870. Painting portraits and tavern signs for room and board, he came to the attention of the Georgian and Russian avant-garde in 1912, who presented him a year later as the "Rousseau of the East" in the Moscow exhibition Mischén alongside works of Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Kazimir Malevich and Marc Chagall. An exhibition in Paris was planned, yet never to happen due to the First World War. Pirosmani died impoverished in 1918. Today he is Georgia's most celebrated artist.

EXHIBITION
Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel,
September 17, 2023 - January 28, 2024