Avto Mosiashvili for TAB
Moonlight
Silver tonalities, individual gestures and structural rhythms within Georgian abstraction.
Current · From 9 September 2026
Auguststraße 86, Berlin
Avto Mosiashvili’s abstract painting occupies a singular position within Georgian visual art. He developed an imagistic language entirely distinct from that of other representatives of the Georgian abstract school. For the artist, nonfigurative painting was never associated with Western “formalism,” nonconformism, or artistic introversion. During his years at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts, he rigorously studied the composition systems and visual language of Soviet Socialist Realism before organically transitioning towards a nonfigurative and generalized painterly mode of thought.
Mosiashvili emerged as an abstract painter in the 1980s. Beginning in the 1970s, he maintained a close relationship with one of the founders of Georgian abstraction, Aleksandre (Shura) Bandzeladze, with whom he engaged in ongoing conversations about the nature and possibilities of Georgian abstract art.
The artist consistently rejected the notion of direct influence. Instead, he sought to work within a distinctly Georgian - more specifically, Tbilisi-based - mode of abstraction, something clearly evident in the compositional framework and nonverbal codes of his paintings. Within Mosiashvili’s painterly proposition, the “words” of abstraction - its stains and gestures - remain multivalent, contextual, and indirect. His canvases are marked by deeply individual gestures and distinctive structural supports. Through this architectural punctuation, the artist organizes and binds his abstract syntax. What initially appears dissonant or monochromatic gradually reveals itself as a carefully welded network of chromatic relations and syntactic cohesion.
Mosiashvili’s visual language inevitably recalls aspects of Western abstraction, evoking figures such as Clyfford Still, Josef Albert, Nicolas de Staël, Ad Reinhardt, Barnett Newman, and Hans Hofmann. Yet these affinities do not imply direct dialogue or explicit influence. Rather, isolated elements of their visual vocabularies converge within Mosiashvili’s practice, forming a cohesive painterly totality uniquely his own.
At the Academy of Arts, Mosiashvili’s teacher, Givi Toidze, frequently remarked upon the artist’s singular sensibility, telling him: “You possess a silver palette - preserve it.” The advice ultimately became a creative credo. It is precisely this characteristic silver tonality that inspired the title Moonlight.
“My world is a vision of freedom. What one looks at must never be confined within a frame.”
“The abstract works of Avto Mosiashvili do not present familiar terrains or recognizable vistas; rather, the fissures shaped through diverse technical means transport the viewer into the loci of primordial memory, suggesting the discovery of the metaphysical within the tangible - that is, freedom.”
About Avto Mosiashvili
Aleksandre (Avto) Mosiashvili is a distinguished Georgian artist known for his bold, individualistic vision and masterful abstractions. Born in Dusheti, he pursued his passion for fine arts at the Tbilisi State Academy after graduating from the Iakob Nikoladze Art School.
Since 1969, Mosiashvili has been actively exhibiting his works, gaining international recognition for his artistry. In 1986, he was awarded the prestigious Gold Prize at the International Exhibition of Artists in Tokyo. His contributions to the Georgian art scene were further acknowledged in 1990 when he was honored with the title of Honored Artist of Georgia. In 2018, the Artists’ Union of Georgia nominated him for the Medal of Honor, celebrating his lifelong dedication to the arts.
Mosiashvili has showcased his work in major solo exhibitions, including at the Dimitri Shevardnadze National Art Gallery (2004) and D-Art Gallery (2009). His artistic journey has also extended beyond Georgia, with participation in group exhibitions across Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Russia. His works, revered for their depth and innovation, are housed in prestigious collections, including the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, the Tretyakov Gallery, and the Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow.
Mosiashvili’s market presence and public recognition have reached significant new milestones recently. His abstract work was featured and sold in the landmark "Georgian Art Now" auction held by Bonhams in London in May 2025. He was subsequently highlighted as a pioneering figure in Georgian abstraction at Hessink's Fine Art Auctioneers' inaugural Georgian art auction in Tbilisi on April 27, 2026.