2003 Embassy Events
September 22, U.S. EMBASSY TBILISI HOSTS ROBERT CAPA EXHIBITION
On September 22nd, the United States Embassy in Tbilisi hosted an opening reception for the Robert Capa photograph exhibition the embassy is co-sponsoring. Robert Capa, a well-known photojournalist, toured the Soviet Union in 1947 with John Steinbeck, who wrote My Russian Journal after the trip. The exhibition displayed 81 pictures of Georgia Capa made on that trip, matching text from the book (in Georgian and English) to the pictures. Many of the photographs were shown for the first time at this exhibition.
Ambassador Miles, President Shevardarnadze, Minister of Culture Sesili Ghoghiberidze, and noted Capa biographer Richard Whelan all spoke during the opening ceremony. All major media in Georgia was represented at the opening reception. Media interest has been very strong. Richard Whelan was greeted at the airport by reporters, given interviews to most major media since his arrival, and given lectures at Tbilisi State University and the American Academy. The U.S. embassy arranged a showing of a Robert Capa biography on Rustavi 2 following a taped discussion of the film with Richard Whelan and a representative of the Georgian Parliamentary Committee for Culture and Science.
The embassy is co-sponsoring the exhibition with Georgian Glass and Mineral Water and the Georgian Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Science. The exhibition will remain at the State Art Museum in Tbilisi for a week, and then move to one of the regional cities. The U.S. embassy and Borjomi have created a catalog of the photo exhibition which includes (in Georgian and English) two chapters of Steinbeck's My Russian Journal that are relevant to Georgia.
After the exhibition, Robert Capa's photographs will be donated to the people of Georgia, at the request of Capa's estate.
