Art and history enthusiasts can now find stories and pictures illustrating the cultural and creative life of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia in a new catalogue unveiled at Tbilisi’s Art Palace venue. Presented at the museum this week, the illustrated book Art of Georgia 1918-1920 incorporates previously unpublished “unique” archival material on art and culture during the life of the three-year republic. The 300-page publication, printed in Georgian and English, also features historical reports printed by the First Republic press about practices in fields including stage art and cinema.

These include reviews of early opera productions like Abesalom and Eteri (1919) and the first Georgian feature film Kristine(directed between 1916-1918). Within the publication readers can also find practical works by prominent artists of the era, including sketches by painter Lado Gudiashvili for a prospective fashion magazine in the years 1918-1919.

Posters for concerts and stage productions, photographs of scenes from shows, and musical scores for composer works are also among the material of the catalogue. Art Palace’s publishing of the book comes in the year of celebrations of the centenary of Georgia’s First Democratic Republic. The catalogue’s printing has been supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia