* 04.07.1903 Village Lakhundara, Khareguli Municipality
† 06.01.1977 Tbilisi
Architect
Giorgi Lezhava began his education in 1920 in the construction department of the Technical Industrial School, and from 1923 to 1929 studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the Tbilisi Academy of Arts, while at the same time taking lessons in the Art Studio of Mose Toidze. During his studies at the Academy, he took part in the surveying of architectural monuments under the direction of Nikolai Severov. In 1927-1928 he worked as an assistant architect in the planning office of the Tbilisi City Executive Committee. In 1928, while preparing his diploma thesis (‘Cinema Factory’), he worked as an artist-architect in the film studio on the set of Mikheil Kalatozishvili’s ‘Jim Shvante’.
After graduating from the Academy of Arts, he continued his studies at postgraduate level and began working at the Design and Consultancy Trust of the Supreme Council of the National Economy of Transcaucasia. In 1931, Giorgi Lezhava was sent to Moscow for post-graduate studies, where he began working as an architect in the second studio of ‘Mossovet’ (Moscow City Administration Planning Bureau) under the guidance of Alexei Shchusev. At the same time, he worked as a teacher at the Moscow Institute of Architecture from 1931 to 1936. In 1934, he moved to the X studio of the same office, headed by Viktor Kokorin. In 1938, Giorgi Lezhava became a doctoral student at the Academy of Architecture of the Soviet Union from where in 1941, after the outbreak of World War II, he was sent to the Stalingrad region to build houses for evacuees. In 1942 he was sent to the front as an ordinary soldier. In the same year he was captured and detained at the Calafat concentration camp in Romania. In 1944, he was liberated by the Soviet army and was directly sent back to the front lines.
From 1947, Giorgi Lezhava was head of one of the studios of the SaqSakhProekti and at the same time he worked as a lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic Institute in Tbilisi. From 1965 he worked as a scientific researcher at the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Georgian Academy of Sciences and was chief architect of the archaeological expedition in Vani.
Giorgi Lezhava was a Honored Artist of Georgia (1961) and Candidate of Architectural Sciences, Dissertation Topic: ‘Svanetian House’ (1964).
Competitions, exhibitions
– Closed competition ‘Municipal Museum in Tbilisi’, first prize, 1929
– Palace of Technology in Moscow (Mariam Jandieri, Giorgi Lezhava), 1933
– Pantheon in Moscow (Mariam Jandieri, Giorgi Lezhava), 1933
– Government House of Georgia, First prize (Viktor Kokorin, with the co-operation of Giorgi Lezhava), 1935
– Metekhi Museum in Tbilisi 1939
– Main building of the Government House of Georgia, first prize (Viktor Kokorin, Giorgi Lezhava), 1946
– Building complex of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, first prize, 1947
– Georgian Pavilion for the Exhibition of Public Achievements in Moscow (Giorgi Lezhava, Leo Mamaladze), second prize (first prize was not awarded), 1959
Major projects
– State Insurance Office, Tbilisi 1927
– House of trade workers, Marjanishvili Street, Tbilisi 1929, not realised
–Residential building ‘Kenapi’, and residential buildings in Tsaghveri holiday resort, 1929
– Student town of the Baku Oil Institute, Azerbaijan. 1928-1930 (Anatoli Kalgin, Giorgi Lezhava)
– Cinema with two halls in Moscow, 1933 (Mariam Jandieri, Giorgi Lezhava)
– Pavilion of the Transcaucasian Republic at the Exhibition of People’s Achievements, Moscow 1939 (Giorgi Lezhava, Archil Kurdiani) Demolished
– Government building of Georgia, first stage, upper building, Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue, 1933-1938 (Viktor Kokorin, Giorgi Lezhava)
– House of the Georgian Government, second stage, main building, Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue 1946-1953 (Viktor Kokorin, Giorgi Lezhava)
– Culture and Recreation Park, Gurjaani 1950 (on a voluntary basis)
– Railway platform “Agaraki” (now “Psitsrkha”), Akhali Atoni 1952-1954
– Reconstruction of the Chugureti neighbourhood, Tbilisi 1957. design proposal
– General plan of the complex of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi 1946. Second, revised version, 1960s
– Institute of Manuscripts (today: Korneli Kekelidze National Centre of Manuscripts of Georgia), complex of the Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi 1966 (Giorgi Lezhava, Teimuraz Todradze, Vakhtang Tsukhishvili. Engineer: Gegenava)
– Niko Berdzenishvili Library, Gogolesubani village 1967 (on a voluntary basis)
– National Scientific Library, Complex of the Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi 1970 (Giorgi Lezhava, Ilia Liberman)
Survey and research of monuments
– Ubisi, Samtsevrisi, Tsromi, etc., (under the direction of Nikolai Severov) 1923-1929
– Svaneti, Racha, Khevi, Khevsureti, Tusheti, Shida Kartli, (Mariam Jandieri, Giorgi Lezhava). 1933-1936
– Kvelatsminda of Vachnadziani (at the request of Giorgi Chubinashvili) 1950s
– Secular architecture in Georgia from the 17th to 18th centuries, measurements and sketches (commissioned by the State Museum of Georgia) 1950s
Publications
– Giorgi Lezhava, Mariam Jandieri. Architectura Svanetii, Moscow, (Rus.) 1938 (Architecture of Svaneti)
– Giorgi Lezhava, Mariam Jandieri. Arkhitektura gornikh raionov Gruzii, Moscow, (Rus.) 1940. (Architecture of Mountainous Georgia)
– Giorgi Lezhava. About the Column Found in the Village of Sairkhe, “Sabchota Khelovneba” magazine, 2. 1965
– Giorgi Lezhava. Architectural Monuments Discovered as a Result of Excavations of the Vani Archaeological Expedition (Short Report of the Scientific Session – 1966-1969)
– Giorgi Lezhava. Architecture of cave city of Uplistsikhe, “Dzeglis Megobari” magazine, 27-28, 1971
– Mariam Jandieri, Giorgi Lezhava. Narodnaia bashennaia arkhitektura (Rus.), Moscow 1976 (Folk Architecture of Towers)
– Giorgi Lezhava. Antique small altar, “Dzeglis Megobari” magazine, 41.1976
– Giorgi Lezhava. Architectural Monuments of Ancient Georgia, Tbilisi 1979
Other creative projects
– Graphic works: Book illustrations, posters, stamps, bookplates
– Theater painting: artist of the plays ‘Mzetamze’ and ‘Lamara’ by director Kote Marjanishvili1926
–In his personal exhibition, Lado Gudiashvili provided Giorgi Lezhava with a separate room in which he could exhibit his works. Tbilisi, 1926
– Personal exhibition of the works of Giorgi Lezhava, Gallery of Fine Arts, Tbilisi, (projects, architectural graphics, measurements) 1962
Literature/Links
Irakli Tsitsishvili. Memories (rus) ПЕРВЫЕ ШАГИ (воспоминания)
Gersamia. T. National Academy of Sciences of Georgia. The Main Scientific Editorial Board of the Georgian Encyclopedia named after I. Abashidze, (geo)
Irine Elizbarashvili, Manana Suramelashvili, Tsitsino Chachkhunashvili, Khatuna Churghulia. Restoration of Architecture in Georgia, (geo) Tbilisi 2012