Press Digest 29.12.14
How Government got hold of Pirosmani’s “Easter Lamb”
“Narmania is Ivanishvili’s biggest mistake”
How Government got hold of Pirosmani’s “Easter Lamb”
“Narmania is Ivanishvili’s biggest mistake”
Colonel Damiane Alania filed several lawsuits to return Niko Pirosmani’s well-known painting “Easter Lamb”. The 85-year-old man dreamt to restore justice on his deathbed but, unfortunately, he proved unable to do this.
Now his son, Nugzar Alania is trying to realize his father’s dyeing dream by returning the painting,” reports the Kviris Palitra newspaper.
“On March 17, 2001, my father purchased Niko Pirosmani’s two paintings “A Fox” and “Easter Lamb” in the antique shop “Orientire.” He paid 35 thousand USD for them. Documents proving that late Damiane Alania bought these paintings are in our possession.
On Sept. 9, 2009, father submitted a report to the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection to certify that “Easter Lamb” was really a work of Pirosmani. Father sold “Fox” in 2003; as for the “Easter Lamb”, we kept this painting at home,” claims Nugzar Alania.
The committee concluded that the painting was a fake. However, father was deeply convinced that the painting was the original till his last breath. He regretted selling The Fox abroad, which is why he wanted to sell the other painting only to a customer that would guarantee that the painting would stay in Georgia” states the respondent.
“In 2011, an expert told father that a potential buyer for the painting wanted to meet with him. On December 21, 2011, we went to the house of an art collector, where we met with a potential buyer for the painting. The expert verified that the painting was authentic.
Shortly after we exited the building, we were arrested like terrorists. Around 20 police officials surrounded our car and seized our phones as well as the painting. They freed us by 7:30 p.m., sealed the painting and tucked it away somewhere,” states Nugzar Alania.
“Soon father informed me that he was going to transfer ownership of the painting to the government and he wanted me to pass this information onto an investigator as soon as possible. Thus, father asked his nephew to write a letter stating that he was voluntarily giving the painting over to the government.
Soon after that, investigator Papuashvili called me and said that he was told to change the report since, according to “government guys”, it was vague. They did not like it since it was actually unclear - father was a lawyer and he did this purposefully,” states the respondent.
To a journalist’s question asking whether his father actually amended the report after the complaint, Mr. Alania replies:
“He refused to do this. Prosecutor Tengiz Kharebava was also involved in this case. In his words, the painting was purchased unlawfully and it was to be confiscated.
However, they were apparently reluctant to take the painting, giving us a chance to voluntarily transfer its ownership to the government. They failed to fulfill their plan, but quickly found a way out of this situation.
After power changed hands in the country, they filed a lawsuit against the woman from whom father actually bought the painting in 2001. Owner of the painting, Mzia Shavlashvili-Topuria, was accused of forging the documents along with father.
Thus, soon after the painting fell into the government’s hands… Long story short, this case must be investigated as soon as possible and all guilty parties must be strictly punished,” concludes Nugzar Alania.
“Narmania is Ivanishvili’s biggest mistake”
“Obviously, I have nothing against Bidzina Ivanishvii’s return to politics. However, in my mind, such a maneuver will raise suspicions and make our people think Bidzina Ivanishvili took this step as a last resort,” states writer Merab Shatirishvili, a co-founder of the Georgian Dream and leader of the Movement “New Reality”, in his interview with the Kronika newspaper.
“Finally, our former Prime Minister realized that he needs to hire loyal officials rather than politically savvy inpiduals. He understood that a man with political expertise can often be a very bad person as well.
Ivanishvili’s intervention in the personnel policy does not cause us to believe that he leads Gharibashvili around by his nose. In my mind, Gharibashvili is Ivanishvili’s staunch supporter; however, he is a politically immature leader.
As it appears, the only officials that end up in Ivanishvili’s good books are those in whom he has absolute confidence,”- declares Mr. Shatirishvili.
“I want to openly state that Mr. Ivanishvili has held back from intervening in Irakli Gharibashvili’s personnel policy. However, He eventually noticed that our illustrious Prime Minister was in need of his assistance.
I am sure that Ivanishvili curses himself for granting high posts to Davit Narmania or Giorgi Margvelashvili. I respect Mr. Narmania but I have to admit that his decision to staff the City Hall with his relatives was a truly inexcusable mistake,”- asserts the respondent.
“If you ask me, the present authorities’ biggest mistake was to pass an anti-discrimination law in Georgia, since the practice of discriminating against minorities or in any way insulting them is something totally alien to our nature.
By imposing such preposterous laws on us, the government is simply trampling on our values.
Although I have to give credit to our government for for preventing some scoundrel policemen torturing, raping and even murdering inmates from enjoying impunity,”- concludes the respondent.
