Igor Tcholaria was born in Ochamchiry, a small town of Abkhazia (Georgia, USSR)on 11.09.1959. His family consists of one sister, one brother and dad. His mother died when he was thirty.
At the age of 12 his family discovers his talent and he is sent to the local capital Sukhumy to attend the artschool.
He lives there with the family of his parents' friends and finely finishes this school in 1976 as one of the best students. In the same year he goes to Leningrad and enters to the Academy of art.
He is greatly inspired by the French impressionists, Picasso and Modigliani, which are not welcomed by the soviet official art. As a result he has to leave Academy and look for his own way in art. The hard life of a soviet unofficial artist comes to an end when Gorbachov Perestroika starts. Tcholaria is finally noticed by European galleries and collectors. He goes to Italy, Finland, Holland for his exhibitions. British filmmakers make a documentary about his life.
In the last six years he has closely cooperated with Robinson's art gallery in Belgium and some other big galleries like Roy Miles in England.