At the gallery. Via Abkhazworld.   Abkhazia’s National Art Gallery lost more than 4,000 paintings in the fire taking place on January 21. A fire at the Russian-backed breakaway Republic of Abkhazia in occupied Georgia ripped through the main display. Three hundred works by Abkhazian artist Alexander Chachba-Shervashidze were also caught in fire.   Abkhazia’s National Art Burned Down Aleksandr Chachba-Sharvashidze, a portrait by Vladimir Rossinsky, 1913. Via Wikipedia.   Dinara Smyr, Abkhazia’s acting cultural minister, told Apsnypress that the fire occurred about 3:38 a.m. Also, she said that by 7 a.m., 11 firefighters from the cities of Gudauta, Ochamchira, Gulrypsh, and Sukhum had put out the flames. The Abkhazia Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that the blaze started on the second level.   “You could say everything burned down”, she added. “This is an irreparable loss for the national culture of Abkhazia”. Only 200 or so of the collection’s artworks escaped the fire, according to officials subsequently. This includes works by Viktor Sheglov, Khuta Avidzba, Sergey Sangalov, Sergey Gabelia, Visarion Tsvizhba, and others. Smyr …