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In 1920, Georgian artist and public figure Dimitri Shevardnadze founded the National Gallery of Georgia in Tbilisi, later known as the Shalva Amiranashvili State Museum of Art or the National Museum of Georgia. From its inception, the gallery placed particular emphasis on acquiring Western European art pieces. Initially part of the Painting Fund, the Western European collection became a separate department in 1954, steadily growing through acquisitions and donations from private individuals and institutions.
Today, the museum boasts a significant collection of Dutch and Flemish art, showcasing an array of paintings, graphic works, ceramics, and porcelain items. The collection features remarkable works across various genres and offers vivid insights into the evolution of Dutch painting from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.
Notable highlights include landscapes by Petrus Schotanus, Ludolf Backhuysen, Aelbert Jacobsz Cuyp, Jacob van Ruisdael, Adriaen van de Velde and Jan Baptist Weenix. The museum also has figurative compositions by Dirck Hals and Egbert Jaspersz van Heemskerk in its collection, as well as battle scenes by Anthonie Palamedesz and Philips Wouwerman. Others worth mentioning are a family feast by Jan Havickszoon Steen and still lifes by Jan Davidsz de Heem, Melchior d’Hondecoeter and Willem Frederiksz van Royen.