Gia Bugadze

Gia (Giorgi) Bugadze was born on September 24, 1956, in one of the old city areas of Tbilisi, Georgia, to a family of doctors. From an early age, he showed interest in art. He acquired a classical education in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. He studied at the Palace of Pioneers and Pupils, then at the Tbilisi Iakob Nikoladze Art College and finally at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts (1977–1981), the Studio of Giorgi Totibadze and Koki Makharadze at the Faculty of Fine Arts. In 1985, he studied at the USSR Art Academy and graduated there, under headship of Ucha Japaridze.

He acknowledges his teacher to be the well-known Georgian artist Jibson Khundadze. The power of color, absorbed from him, was applied for a task of an artwork improvement, it was transformed and was established in its individual style, characterized by composition with live dramatics, audacity of the mastered art-piece. He has realized various personal exhibitions in Vatican- Rome, Basel, Zurich, Prague, Köln, Tallinn, Munich, Berlin, Moscow, Palermo, Barcelona, Paris, Cannes, New York, London, as well as participated in group exhibitions, international projects, and as a speaker - in international symposiums, forums, round tables and conferences (The George Washington University, Thomas Jefferson University - USA, Basel University-Switzerland.

At the end of Millennium, he turned towards educational activity. He joined the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, initially as a teacher, later as the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, and lastly as the Rector of the academy, between 2003 and 2012.

• "I am the professional artist, I am the professional teacher, I am the professional listener, I am the professional reader. As for me, the books and music are the same, that the buildings are for the city. Without them, art isn’t being created in my inward, that’s why, through my art, I have been the musician, writer, teacher and also, the artist" - Gia Bugadze. 2012

The general characteristics of cultural circumstances of post-totalitarian countries completely affected the Georgian arts too. In these conditions, “survival” of an artist, detecting the identification point with the reality and mainly, self-realization, showed up in searching, appeared to be a hard problem. He was always supported by his spouse - a like-minded person, an art historian Ani kldiashvili. He has two children, Nino Bugadze-an architect and Lasha Bugadze- writer and dramatist, representative of the new Georgian culture.

He has been awarded many Prizes at various contests: in 1985 – Best Artwork of the Year – major Prize of the contest, held by Georgian Union of Artists; five years later - Prize of the President of France for the Best National Collection, at the International Festival in Cannes, France; in 1993 – Medal of Iakob Gogebashvili, awarded by Georgian Educators Association and Medal of Anton Catholicos (Anton II of Georgia); in 2001 – Medal of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University; in 2002 of Vatican “Carolus Magnus”.