(1901, Tbilisi – 1967, Tbilisi)
Art historian; a prominent researcher of Georgian art; Doctor of Historical Sciences (1966). She was born in Tbilisi, spent her entire life here, and through her work remained fully connected to Georgia and Georgian art. She graduated from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts in 1929. She worked at the Georgian State Museum and, from 1941, served as a senior researcher at the Institute of Georgian Art History.

She authored foundational works on medieval Georgian architecture and architectural decoration, on early Georgian sculpture, and on the artistic ornamentation of Georgian manuscripts. She also studied issues of Georgian paleography and Georgian art in general. In addition, she published popular works—guides to ancient Georgian architectural monuments. Shmerling’s scholarship occupies an important place in the scientific literature dedicated to Georgian art.

Her works are distinguished by meticulous examination of each monument and artifact, comprehensive study, and sharp artistic analysis. She also possessed an unfailing literary talent, which further enriched her writings.

Rene Shmerling was a true devotee of her profession. She had traveled across almost all of Georgia, visiting Svaneti and Dagestan multiple times. Tireless in her fieldwork, she saw countless monuments, carefully recording detailed descriptions and exquisite sketches of each one in her notebooks. Interacting with her was both interesting for colleagues and invaluable for young specialists. She worked at the Institute for 26 years, leaving a profound mark both on its activities and on the study of Georgian art.

Bibliography