In the early hours of Sunday morning, a destructive fire engulfed the National Art Gallery of Abkhazia, a pro-Russian separatist region officially part of Georgia, resulting in the loss of at least 4,000 artworks, as reported by local state media.
Acting Minister of Culture Dinara Smyr lamented the catastrophic event, stating, “Everything burned down. This is an irreparable loss for the national culture of Abkhazia. I am choking with tears. It is difficult for me to speak,” according to the region’s Apsnypress news agency.
The collection housed in the National Art Gallery included approximately 300 works by Alexander Chachba-Shervashidze, an exiled painter regarded by the breakaway republic as the “first professional Abkhazian artist.” Tragically, none of his pieces are believed to have survived the fire, Smyr added.
Situated in Sukhumi, the capital city of the separatist republic, Abkhazia has declared its own government and is supported by Russia, although it lacks official recognition as a state from most countries and the United Nations. The region’s population was reported to be around 244,000 in 2021, according to Abkhazia’s State Committee for Statistics.
Emergency services responded to the blaze at the National Art Gallery’s Central Exhibition Hall, with 11 fire brigades mobilized from surrounding areas. By 7 a.m. local time, the flames were contained, and by 11 a.m., the fire was fully extinguished.
Abkhazia’s Parliament issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over the loss: “The death of the works of art that made up the fund of the National Art Gallery is an irreparable loss for the cultural heritage of our state,” the statement said, as reported on state media.
