The history of the Art Palace’s unique American collections will be brought together in a single publication for the first time! A century of cultural relations between Georgia and the United States - from the Gurian horsemen and George Balanchine to Thomas Edison, Hollywood, and Chakrulo sent into space.

The LEPL Union of Georgian Palace Museums has received financial support from the U.S. Department of State for the project “American Collections at the Art Palace and the History of Cultural Dialogue.” 

The project will involve extensive research, scholarly documentation, digitization, and international presentation of the unique cultural heritage related to the United States preserved at the Art Palace.

The eight-month project aims to systematically study, document, digitize, and present the Art Palace’s American-related collections to an international audience, highlighting the presence and influence of American culture in Georgia and tracing the long and fascinating history of Georgian-American cultural relations.

Gurian horsemen in America and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West; George Balanchine and the history of American ballet; the “Black Pearl of Ballet,” Tamara Toumanova, and Hollywood; Georgian artist Simon Dadiani in America; Alex Toradze and Van Cliburn; Arthur Miller in Tbilisi; Vakhtang Chabukiani’s American tours; Robert De Niro’s visit to Georgia; materials connected to the world of James Bond; and the legacy of Edward S. Curtis’s exhibition -  these are just some of the many remarkable stories and themes that will be brought together through the project.

As part of the project, at least 500 archival, photographic, audiovisual, and museum objects will be researched, scientifically documented, and digitized.

For the Union of Georgian Palace Museums, this project represents another important opportunity to introduce an international audience to the valuable heritage of Georgian-American friendship and cultural relations, while bringing these extraordinary stories to life for a new generation.