Most of the Gallery's art in the Central Exhibition Hall in was destroyed in the fire. (JAMnews/X)

On Sunday, a fire in the Central Exhibition Hall in Sukhumi, in the breakaway region of Abkhazia, Georgia, led to the loss of more than 4,000 paintings.

According to local media, emergency services received a fire alert at around 3:38 am, and 11 crews were dispatched immediately, however, the fire was only contained by 7 am, and by then most of the paintings were gone.

Dinara Smyr, the region's acting minister of culture, stated that virtually "everything has been destroyed," explaining, “The second floor housed the collections of the National Art Gallery, with over 4000 works. Among them were up to 300 works by Alexander Chachba-Shervashidze,” calling it “an irreplaceable loss” to the nation's culture.

In addition, Suram Sakania, the National Art Gallery's director, said the damage to Abkhazian heritage was “immeasurable” adding that he walks around crying because of how terrible it is. He also stated that the fire started on the roof and was likely caused by an electrical fault, according to the firefighters.

In Abkhazia, the National Art Gallery was ravaged by fire overnight, resulting in the COMPLETE DESTRUCTION of its foundation. Approximately 4,000 artworks were lost in the blaze, with 300 belonging to famous Alexander Shervashidze-Chachba. The inferno originated on the second… pic.twitter.com/eq7z1ngbst
— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) January 21, 2024

The Central Exhibition Hall

The Central Exhibition Hall, which first opened its doors in 1964 regularly hosts local and international artists, and was home to artwork by a significant figure in Abkhazian art, Alexander Chachba-Shervashidze.

Ezekiel Lazarevich Fishkov – an art connoisseur and Sukhum physician – played a vital role in the gallery’s foundation, and donated part of his home and 60 paintings, including pieces by Russian artists who visited Abkhazia in the early 20th century. Other prominent artists, including M. Eshba, O. Brendel, I. Tsomaya, and V. Ivanba, donated their works to the gallery, which initially displayed 100 paintings and 20 sculptures.