Episode 20: Lado Meskhishvili and Architecture in Soviet Georgia with Nini Palavandishvili
Highly lauded and acclaimed architect Vladimir (Lado) Alexi-Meskhishvili (1915-1978) worked on the designs of some of Soviet Georgia's most iconic buildings. A partial list includes: Sanatorium “Imereti”, Tskaltubo (1957), Tbilisi Sports Palace, Tbilisi (1961), Restaurant “Iori”, Tbilisi (1962), Lower floor of Freedom Square metro station, (then “Lenin Square”), Tbilisi, (1967) Agricultural Institute of Georgia, Tbilisi (1970) The Victory Memorial of Vake-Park, Tbilisi (1970) Chess Palace and Alpine Club, Tbilisi (1973) The Central Postal Service and Telegraph, Tbilisi (1980) On this episode, we discuss life and legacy of Meskhishvili as well as architecture as an art and practice in Soviet Georgia with our guest, freelance researcher, curator and writer Nini Palavandishvili. Palavandishvili co-curated a current exhibition entitled Lado Alexi-Meskhishvili, Architect on the Edge of Epochs Her research focuses on Mid-century modernist architecture, monumental and decorative art, their role in a time of creation, and current interpretations. In 2018-2020 in collaboration with the Georgian National Committee of the Blue Shield, Nini worked on the Conservation and adaptation plan for the Tbilisi Chess Palace and Alpine Club building. Among other publications, her most recent is: Art for Architecture - Georgia. Soviet Modernist Mosaics from 1960 to 1990 .