Goudji
Encyclopedia
Guy Georges Amachoukeli, better known as Goudji is a French
sculptor and goldsmith
, that was born in Georgia on July 6, 1941, .
with his family. His father was a doctor and his mother was a Professor of natural science. He had an elder brother, by two years. He studied sculpture at the Art school of Tbilissi between 1958 and 1962. He left Georgia in 1962 for Moscow
, where he started a career of sculptor, while dreaming of becoming a goldsmith.
In 1969 he married Katherine Barsacq who worked at the French Embassy in Moscow. He moved to France in January 1974 after five years of personal intervention on his behalf by President Georges Pompidou
. He became a French naturalized citizen in 1978. In Paris
he made jewelry and decorative objects for art galleries.
In 1976 he created the academician's sword for Félicien Marceau
. He has created other swords for Hélène Carrère d'Encausse
, Raymond Barre
and Maurice Allais
.
His works are exhibited in art galleries and museums, in France and abroad. They are offered by the French Presidents of the Republic, François Mitterrand
, Jacques Chirac
or Nicolas Sarkozy
, to Foreign Presidents.
The majority of the civil pieces are preserved in private collections. Several museums have some: Museum of decorative Arts of Paris
, Museum Mandet de Riom
, Dobrée Museum of Nantes
, Museum of decorative Arts of Lyon
, Museum of the Castle of Blois
in France, Kunsthaus Dr. Hartl in Freising
in Bavaria or Vatican Museums
.
and a Pascal candlestick for the Abbey of Epau and the National Committee of Sacred Art, which now resides in the Notre Dame de Paris
.
Between 1992 and 1996 he designed twenty five works for the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Chartres
, all registered in the Inventory of Patrimony. In 2008 he created twenty-five new works (sacred vessels, candlesticks, ciboire), which make Chartres's collection one of the most important collection of Goudji liturgical works in France.
He has provided work for several cathedrals, abbeys and churches: Luçon Cathedral
(1995); Abbey of St Philibert at Tournus
(1999) La Trappe Abbey
of Soligny (2000), Saint-Pierre de Champagne on the Rhone (2000); the Cambrai Cathedral (2003), the Abbey ND of Belleville in Beaujolais wine (2004); Friburg (2004); the Basilica Sainte Clotilde (2007) in Paris. He creates baptismal fonts: Notre-Dame de Paris (1986), Saint-Jean de Montmartre (2007), Saint-Pierre de Champagne, of large monstrances of procession: Lourdes
, Puy in Velay, sticks of abbot and bishop: abbot of Saint-Maurice de Clervaux (1994), abbot of Triors (1996), Champagne abbot on the Rhone (2000), Mgr Jean-Louis Bruguès (Rome), Mgr Herve Giraud (Soissons), reliquaries: Abbey of Sept-Fons (1998), St Philibert at Tournus, Cathedral of Cahors (2002), the crowns of light: St Philibert at Tournus (2002), collegial Saint-Liphard of Meung-sur-Loire (2004), eucharistic doves: Chartres
, Blois
, Vendôme
, chalices: Notre Dame du Haut de Ronchamp
.
In 1999 he produced the reliquary of Padre Pio, a gift of the Minor Brothers Capuchins
to the pope John Paul II on the occasion of the beatification of Padre Pio. The Pope carried this on his cape at the opening of the holy door of St Peter's Basilica of Rome. Other works for the Minor Brothers include sacred vessels, the cross of procession, the monstrance, the lantern, the censer and its shuttle with incense, as well as the cover of the "évangéliaire". In 2008 Goudji created the crystal mounting of the reliquary for the translation of the saint on April 24, 2008 in San Giovanni Rotondo in Pouilles in Italy.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sculptor and goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
, that was born in Georgia on July 6, 1941, .
Biography
Goudji was born in Soviet Georgia and spent his youth in BatumiBatumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
with his family. His father was a doctor and his mother was a Professor of natural science. He had an elder brother, by two years. He studied sculpture at the Art school of Tbilissi between 1958 and 1962. He left Georgia in 1962 for Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where he started a career of sculptor, while dreaming of becoming a goldsmith.
In 1969 he married Katherine Barsacq who worked at the French Embassy in Moscow. He moved to France in January 1974 after five years of personal intervention on his behalf by President Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
. He became a French naturalized citizen in 1978. In Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
he made jewelry and decorative objects for art galleries.
Artworks
His artwork combines the technique of the dinandery with hard stone incrustations in metal. His first work consisted of brooches and torques. He then went on to create canthares, aquamaniles, rhytons, pyxides and animal figures. He hammers thin sheets of metal.In 1976 he created the academician's sword for Félicien Marceau
Félicien Marceau
Félicien Marceau is the pen name of Louis Carette a French novelist, playwright and essayist originally from Belgium. He was close to the Hussards right-wing literary movement, itself close to the monarchist .He received the Prix Goncourt for his book Creezy in 1969...
. He has created other swords for Hélène Carrère d'Encausse
Hélène Carrère d'Encausse
Hélène Carrère d'Encausse is the permanent secretary of the Académie Française and a historian specializing in Russian history....
, Raymond Barre
Raymond Barre
Raymond Octave Joseph Barre was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three Presidents and later served as Prime Minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1976 until 1981...
and Maurice Allais
Maurice Allais
Maurice Félix Charles Allais was a French economist, and was the 1988 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics "for his pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources."...
.
His works are exhibited in art galleries and museums, in France and abroad. They are offered by the French Presidents of the Republic, François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
, Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
or Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, to Foreign Presidents.
The majority of the civil pieces are preserved in private collections. Several museums have some: Museum of decorative Arts of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Museum Mandet de Riom
Riom
Riom is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:Until the French Revolution, Riom was the capital of the province of Auvergne, and the seat of the dukes of Auvergne. The city was of Gaulish origin, the Roman Ricomagus...
, Dobrée Museum of Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, Museum of decorative Arts of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Museum of the Castle of Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
in France, Kunsthaus Dr. Hartl in Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
in Bavaria or Vatican Museums
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums , in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries, including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and...
.
Liturgical work
In 1985 he created a Baptismal FontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
and a Pascal candlestick for the Abbey of Epau and the National Committee of Sacred Art, which now resides in the Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
.
Between 1992 and 1996 he designed twenty five works for the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Chartres
Cathedral of Chartres
The French medieval Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres is a Latin Rite Catholic cathedral located in Chartres, about southwest of Paris, is considered one of the finest examples of the French High Gothic style...
, all registered in the Inventory of Patrimony. In 2008 he created twenty-five new works (sacred vessels, candlesticks, ciboire), which make Chartres's collection one of the most important collection of Goudji liturgical works in France.
He has provided work for several cathedrals, abbeys and churches: Luçon Cathedral
Luçon Cathedral
Luçon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and a national monument of France, in Luçon in the Vendée.It is the seat of the Bishop of Luçon.-External links:* Photographs: ,...
(1995); Abbey of St Philibert at Tournus
St Philibert at Tournus
St Philibert's Church in Tournus, France, is the church of the former Benedictine abbey established here in c. 950.The building is a structure of the early First Romanesque style of Burgundy, which is beginning to use further Romanesque and early Gothic styles during the beginning of the 11th...
(1999) La Trappe Abbey
La Trappe Abbey
La Trappe Abbey or La Grande Trappe is a monastery in Soligny-la-Trappe, Orne, France, and the house of origin of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , Reformed Cistercians or Trappists, to whom it gave its name.-History:The site of the famous La Trappe Abbey was for centuries...
of Soligny (2000), Saint-Pierre de Champagne on the Rhone (2000); the Cambrai Cathedral (2003), the Abbey ND of Belleville in Beaujolais wine (2004); Friburg (2004); the Basilica Sainte Clotilde (2007) in Paris. He creates baptismal fonts: Notre-Dame de Paris (1986), Saint-Jean de Montmartre (2007), Saint-Pierre de Champagne, of large monstrances of procession: Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
, Puy in Velay, sticks of abbot and bishop: abbot of Saint-Maurice de Clervaux (1994), abbot of Triors (1996), Champagne abbot on the Rhone (2000), Mgr Jean-Louis Bruguès (Rome), Mgr Herve Giraud (Soissons), reliquaries: Abbey of Sept-Fons (1998), St Philibert at Tournus, Cathedral of Cahors (2002), the crowns of light: St Philibert at Tournus (2002), collegial Saint-Liphard of Meung-sur-Loire (2004), eucharistic doves: Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
, Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
, Vendôme
Vendôme
Vendôme is a commune in the Centre region of France.-Administration:Vendôme is the capital of the arrondissement of Vendôme in the Loir-et-Cher department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It has a tribunal of first instance.-Geography:...
, chalices: Notre Dame du Haut de Ronchamp
Ronchamp
Ronchamp is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.It is located between the Vosges and the Jura mountains.-Notre Dame du Haut:...
.
In 1999 he produced the reliquary of Padre Pio, a gift of the Minor Brothers Capuchins
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
to the pope John Paul II on the occasion of the beatification of Padre Pio. The Pope carried this on his cape at the opening of the holy door of St Peter's Basilica of Rome. Other works for the Minor Brothers include sacred vessels, the cross of procession, the monstrance, the lantern, the censer and its shuttle with incense, as well as the cover of the "évangéliaire". In 2008 Goudji created the crystal mounting of the reliquary for the translation of the saint on April 24, 2008 in San Giovanni Rotondo in Pouilles in Italy.