“The Tbilisi Museum Dolls and Toys Museum is going to find its new home within the Tbilisi City Council building” – Mayor Kakha Kaladze unveiled this decision during today’s meeting of the government.
The preparations for the museum’s space design will start this year, with the museum’s expenses earmarked within the 2023 budget of Tbilisi Municipality.
Established in 1937 at Atharbegov Street within a kindergarten building, the Tbilisi Dolls and Toys Museum was founded under the guidance of children’s writer and educator Tinatin Tumanishvili, by a special decision of the Georgian Government. The museum was based on a collection of dolls and toys, family heirlooms, and a library donated to the museum by Tinatin Tumanishvili.
The museum has seen a journey, relocating from the Palace of Student Youth in 1958 to Shavteli Street in 1986, where it housed a unique collection. Since 2012, it has been eagerly anticipating a new home. Its forthcoming establishment at the historical City Council building in central Tbilisi holds great promise for educating both the youth and visitors to the city.
The museum boasts a diverse collection featuring many artifacts such as musical toys, ethnographic pieces, contemporary toys, international queen figures, wooden exhibits, unique furniture, author-crafted dolls, fine and applied artworks, as well as a rare compilation of embroideries, among other items. Well-known artists, writers, scientists, and public figures, such as L. Gudiashvili, E. Akhvlediani, V. Sidamon-Eristavi, M. Toidze, U. Japaridze, S. Janashia, V. Bardavelidze, E. Kharadze, Sh. Dadian, I. Grishashvili, L. Kiacheli, and others actively collaborated with the museum.
The museum’s collection comprises an extensive array of typological materials and works by notable artists, encompassing Georgian folk queens, ethnographic pieces, creations by renowned artists such as Elene Akhvlediani, Lado Gudiashvili, Avto Varazi, Nino Brilashvili, Nino Beliaeva, Rafiel Begtabegishvili, Tamar Kvesitadze, Irma Kaadze, Ana Gabriadze, and many others. Additionally, the collection features mechanical and musical instruments, along with copyright collections from countries like China, Japan, France, Germany, and more.
The Tbilisi Dolls and Toys Museum is being fully accessible to individuals with varying needs. It is set to fulfill the criteria of a contemporary museum.
