Overview

• Surab Zereteli, a renowned Georgian-Russian artist and president of the Russian Academy of Arts since 1997, died in Moscow at age 91.
• His death was confirmed by his assistant and reported by Russian state television, marking the end of a prolific career spanning over five decades.
• Zereteli created more than 5,000 works, including painting, sculpture, mosaics, and public monuments such as the Peter the Great statue in Moscow.
• He served as chief artist for the Soviet Foreign Ministry and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, later gaining international recognition with his UN sculpture 'Good Defeats Evil' in 1990.
• The Russian Foreign Ministry praised him as a 'true diplomat of the people,' acknowledging his contributions to art and cultural diplomacy.