Everybody who happens to visit the imposing building of Societe Generale in Paris, situated in the modern La Defance area, can’t remain indifferent to the works of art inhabiting the whole space. Modern and provocative, they tickle the senses and inspire a more dynamic contemporary way of communication.

The collection was initiated in 1995. The original idea of using the newly bought works for decorating offices and conference halls soon developed further and after 2003 the amount of the collection allowed for the donation of works to museums in France and other countries. Today it includes over 170 works by authors from different countries and generations, who represent a variety of styles. Regardless of the deliberately eclectic character of the collection, with its growing we can identify three major genres: abstract painting, photography and sculpture. World known names like Pierre Alechinsky, Pierre Soulage, Antonie Tapies, Andy Warhol and Sol Lewitt appear alongside young talents from the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century.

The exhibition in Bulgaria has been organized in co-operation with Societe Generale Expressbank. The selection of works has been made by the expert team of Sofia City Art Gallery and includes 19 artists with 48 paintings, drawings and photographs. The concept is that we show the diversity of a corporate collection and the opportunities it gives for an international cultural exchange.

MARIO ZHEKOV Celebrating the 110th anniversary of his birth

17 October 2008 - 07 November 2008

The exhibition presents 74 canvases and drawings selected by the art critic Marin Dobrev, director of the Art Gallery of the town of Stara Zagora. The selected works belong to the Art Gallery of the town of Stara Zagora, the National Art Gallery, the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of the town of Bourgas, the Art Gallery of the town of Sliven, the Art Gallery of the town of Kazanluk and private collections.

Mario Zhekov (Marin Todorov Zhekov) is one of the most prominent Bulgarian marine artists, fascinated with the delicate way the waves touch the shore, with the gentle flutter caused by the playful interaction between light and shade. His works are inspired by the desire for peace and harmony, a desire characteristic of the works of Bulgarian landscape artists working between the two world wars.

The artist was born on October 16, 1898 in the town of Stara Zagora. He studied, with interruptions, at the State Art Industrial School in Sofia and the Paris Painting School. The landscapes he painted following his trip to Istanbul in 1921 were the earliest convincing proof of his talent. They reveal a variety of painting techniques that is to become a characteristic feature of all his works. In the 1930’s and the early 1940’s Mario Zhekov reached the peak of his artistic maturity. This is when he travelled along the French coast, to the Bulgarian seaside towns of Balchik, Varna, Nesebur and Sozopol, as well as to the Aegean Sea coast and the city of Ohrid. The year of 1937, which he spent in the city of Dubrovnik, is a particularly productive one for the artist. The popularity of his landscapes among the Croatian public and the critical acclaim they brought him resulted in soloexhibitions in Prague, Budapest and Bucharest.

The social changes that took place after the Second World War resulted in the marginalization of landscape artists. Mario Zhekov earned his living designing brochures advertising Bulgarian seaside resorts. He died on August 3, 1955.

SHORTLIST 2008 Gaudenz B. Ruf Award

09 October 2008 - 07 November 2008

The Gaudenz B. Ruf Award was set up in 2007 by the former Swiss ambassador to Bulgaria who, during his stay from 1995 to 2000, became acquainted with the rich cultural life of the country and convinced of its artistic potential.

The Award is financed through a fund established in Switzerland. The aim of the Award is to promote and propagate artistic expression in Bulgaria in the field of visual arts and to focus in particular on the younger generation.

The Award is granted annually to a young and to an advanced artist, within the framework of a competition (www.ruf-award.org).

The first competition was announced in 2007 and the winners were Svetozara Alexandrova and Krassimir Terziev.

In 2008, the Gaudenz B. Ruf Award is attributed for the second time.

The members of the jury are: Kamen Balkanski, Sofia; Luchezar Boyadjiev, Sofia; Lucia Coray, Zurich; Elena Panayotova, Sofia; Hedwig Saxenhuber, Vienna; Gaudenz B. Ruf, Berne.

At their meeting in May, they selected, among the numerous applicants, the following 16 candidates to be included in the shortlist 2008:

Category Young Artists: Dimitar Genchev, Sofia; Stanimir Genov, Sofia; Ivaylo Hristov, Sofia; Nikola Mihov, Sofia; Bora Petkova, Sofia; Jelko Terziev, Sofia; Deyan Yanev, Sofia.

Category Advanced Artists: Mariela Gemisheva, Sofia; David Heywood, Plovdiv; Ivan Kostolov, Plovdiv; Natasha Kupova, Plovdiv; Ilian Lalev, Sofia; Todor Lambov, Sofia; Theodor Liho, Sofia; Adelina Popnedeleva, Sofia; Peter Tzanev, Sofia.

Their works are presented in a catalogue and in an exhibition SHORTLIST 2008 at the Sofia Art Gallery opening on 9 October.

Winners:
Category Young Artists: Bora Petkova
Category Advanced Artists: Adelina Popnedeleva