Otar Sulava is regarded as one of the distinguished representatives of 20th-century Georgian painting.

On February 5, 2026, the Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery of Georgia presented Otar Sulava’s first-ever solo exhibition, marking the artist’s centennial anniversary with a comprehensive retrospective of his creative legacy. The exhibition brought together approximately 100 works from different periods of the artist’s career, including paintings and graphic works that reflect the diversity and expressive richness of his artistic language.

In the history of 20th-century Georgian painting, there are artists whose work clearly embodies the leading artistic tendencies of their time, and Otar Sulava undoubtedly stands among them. His exhibition activity was extensive, encompassing both republican and union-wide exhibitions. Beginning in the 1960s, he was frequently represented at international exhibitions — most notably the 1987 exhibition in Tokyo, where his “Portrait of Nino” was awarded a Gold Medal, and the 2000 exhibition in London, which was met with considerable success.