Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli has died at age 91. He served as the chief artist of the USSR’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and headed Russia’s Academy of Arts, and was a known supporter of Vladimir Putin. His monumental sculptures, favored by Russian elites, were controversial in his native Georgia.
Tsereteli’s death marks the end of an era for a figure who bridged Soviet and post-Soviet Russian art, wielding immense institutional power while his work sparked debate over nationalism, propaganda, and artistic legacy. His career highlights the complex intersection of art, politics, and national identity in the former Soviet sphere.