Bronka Gyurova and Her Circle Curators Roumyana Konstantinova and Slava Ivanova

26 January 2010 - 28 February 2010

The exhibition commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of woman artist Bronka Gyurova. She belonged to the generation of Bulgarian portrait and landscape artists who were most prolific during the 1930’s and the 1940’s. For various reasons she became detached from her home country, yet she is indisputably a part of the history of Bulgarian art.

The exhibition features paintings and drawings belonging to various periods of Bronka Gyurova’s career as an artist, as well as works, such as paintings, drawings and sculptures by fellow artists, namely Alexander Zhendov, Boris Angeloushev, Kiril Tsonev, Stoyan Sotirov, Rada Poptosheva, Mara Tsontcheva, Vera Nedkova, Vera Loukova, Mara Georgieva, Vaska Emanouilova, Bencho Obreshkov, Donka Konstantinova, Stoyan Venev. Each of the artists belonging to that circle had a role to play in the development of Bulgarian art. They all shared a desire for innovation and experimentation in artistic expression, as well as willingness to measure up to the contemporary European art scene.

The choice of works by artists belonging to Bronka Gyurova’s “circle” is based on the artist’s original autobiography and diary, kindly provided by Mrs. Deyana Alsheh, as well as on the curators’ research of the tendencies and trends in Bulgarian art during the 1930’s and the 1940’s.

The works featured in the exhibition belong to the Sofia City Art Gallery, the National Art Gallery, the “Svetlin Rousev” Atelier Collection, private collections, as well as to the family of Bronka Gyurova and Elieser Alsheh in Buenos Aires. A substantial part of the works featured in the exhibition will be on display for the first time in Bulgaria.

The exhibition also features plenty of documentary material, namely photos, letters, catalogues, archive material. Bronka Gyurova’s unpublished manuscripts are exceptionally valuable, as they provide yet another glimpse of the Bulgarian artist’s life and work.

Bronka Gyurova was born on January 1, 1910 in the town of Shoumen. Over the period 1928 - 1932 she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia in Prof. Dimitur Gyudzhenov’s painting class. In 1937 she specialized in “Illustration” with Prof. Minne in Brussels, Belgium. She organized her first solo exhibition in 1943 in Sofia. Over the period 1933 – 1949 she participated in all general exhibitions held in Sofia, Bulgaria, as well as in group exhibitions held in Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia. She was a member of the “Association of Women Artists” /1932/, the “Association of Independent Artists” /1935 /, the “’Contemporary Art’ Association” /1936/ and the “Association of New Artists” /1938/. In 1952 she settled in Buenos Aires, Argentina, together with her husband, Elieser Alsheh, and her daughter, Deyana. She died on June 5, 1995 in Buenos Aires.

THE COLLECTION. NEW ACQUISITIONS 2008-2009

19 January 2010 - 21 March 2010

The Sofia City Art Gallery presents the latest acquisitions to its collection in the departments of painting, graphic arts, sculpture and contemporary art. The said works have been acquired over the past two years through purchase or donation.

Thanks to the financial support provided by the Sofia City Municipal Authorities the gallery made its first purchases of works of art in 2007, following a fifteen-year hiatus. Ever since then new worksbelonging to various genres have been added to the museum’s collection following a process of careful selection. Donations made by artists and heirs have also been an important source of adding new work to the collection.

The highlights of this exhibition are the two bronze figures by the sculptor Kiril Shivarov (1887-1938), entitled „A Praying woman” and „Cain”. Having completed his studies in Prague and Vienna, he was among the most interesting early twentieth century Bulgarian artists. A work by another world famous Bulgarian sculptor, Assen Paikov (1908-1973), is also featured in the collection and this is his masterpiece “Christ” (circa 1936). Other significant new additions to the collection include two plaster models by Galin Malakchiev, free standing sculptures by Boyan Raynov, the portrait of writer Emilian Stanev by Velichko Minekov, the compositions by Snezhana Simeonova and Raya Georgieva.

New additions to the department of painting include three paintings by the great Bulgarian woman painter Slavka Deneva, Svetlin Russev’s emblematic work “Pieta”, as well as works by Atanas Patsev, Dimitur Arnaoudov, Peter Dochev, Edmond Demirdjian, Andrey Daniel, Gredi Assa, Kolio Karamfilov, Dinko Stoev. Classic examples of modern Bulgarian painting are the works of Konstantin Tringov and Nikola Boyadzhiev. The City Art Gallery remains true to its policy of supporting the youngest generations of painting artists, including Mihaela Vlasseva, Violeta Tanova, Ivan Kostolov and Deyan Yanev. New additions to the graphic arts department include works by Roumen Skorchev, Anastasiya Panayotova and Yavora Petrova.

New additions to the contemporary art department include works by Vasil Simitchiev, Luchezar Boyadjiev, Kalin Serapionov, Krassimir Terziev, Mariela Gemisheva, Sasho Stoitsov, Vikenti Komitski, Pravdoliub Ivanov, Krasimir Krustev – Rassim, Ivan Moudov.

MIND AND EYE ILLUSIONS Between Hyperrealism and Abstraction in the Sofia City Art Gallery Collection

20 November 2009 - 31 December 2009

Hyperrealism (syn.: photorealism, superrealism) is an artistic style
characterized by highly realistic representation.
Abstract Art (syn.: non-figurative art) refers to art works that do not represent aspects of the visible world, but rather rely on the use of forms and colours existing for the sake of their own expressiveness.

Curator Maria Vassileva has chosen a nontrivial approach to this new exhibition of works from the Sofia City Art Gallery collection, bringing together two seemingly contrasting styles. One is hyperrealism with its insistence on objectivity, the other being abstraction with its extreme detachment from objects and subjects in the visible world.

The simultaneous tracing of the development of two contracting styles allows viewers to clearly see the differences between them. Exhibited opposite one another, so as to face each other, these works clearly reveal two directions in thought. One is dedicated to objectifying reality, closely studying people and objects that seem to be detached from a specific place and time in history. The other one severs relations with what is known to build a parallel reality.

The two contrasting styles, though, exhibit certain similarities. Most abstract artists use their knowledge of a given object in the world surrounding us as the basis for developing their art in the direction of an independent aesthetical entity of their own. Hyperrealists are capable of creating strange energy, as the attention to detail in their works creates, paradoxically so, an intense sense of irreality. Therefore the two styles create an atmosphere for illusory travels to a different world.

The exhibition features works by artists belonging to different generations, namely Nikola Avramov, Ivan Georgiev-Rembrandt, Nikola Daskalov, Petar Dochev, Hristo Simeonov,Yordan Kisiov, Ivan Kirkov, Dimitur Bouyouliiski, Stefan Rodev, Luchezar Kasabov, Hristina Petrova, Dimitar Traychev, Rossen Raychev, Mihail Stoyanov, Milko Pavlov, Milko Bozhkov, Milena Yoich, Nikolay Karadzhov, Volodya Kenarev, Stefan Yanev, Nikolay Nikov, Boris Kolev etc.

VELICHKO MINEKOV Retrospective exhibition

20 November 2009 - 31 December 2009

Velichko Minekov's exhibition allows viewers to trace the development of an artist, the strengthening of his method, and the process of diversification of his artistic style His is an artistic career that goes back six decades, which, at the very outset, carried the strong promise of something new, revealing the artist’s potential for lasting and high quality presence on the Bulgariancontemporary art scene.

Velichko Minekov had the unique opportunity to communicate with three of the colossi of Bulgarian sculpture, namely Andrey Nikolov, Marko Markov, and Lubomir Dalchev. Influenced by the great Bulgarian masters of sculpture, he started contemplating embarking on a journey into the world of art. His very first works "Repose" (1957), "Thirst" (1958), "Motherhood" (1958) and "Fila" (1959) already attest to the young artist’s willingness to transform nature, to eliminate the accidental and unnecessary, to highlight the most prominent and sustainable features of the object being represented, thus conveying a feeling of monumentality of form and reinforcing the symbolic message of the image.

As just another confirmation of thesimple truth that hardships break the weak, yet making the strong even stronger, in 1969 came the moment when an ideological attack was launched against works, without which both Velichko Minekov’s art and the natural and vital process of diversification of Bulgarian sculpture would have been hard to picture. Essentially, this was an attack on the artist's courage to ignore banal imagery and seek in his works "Icarus", "Shooting", "Movement" the building components for an innovative structure of the sculptural work. Regardless of that, Velichko Minekov invariably continued to apply the principles of expressiveness, flexibility and dynamism, guided by belief in the artist's inalienable right to oppose the existing canon.

The decades to follow are full of moments or even months, sacrificed in the search of ways and means to overcome difficulties, develop skills, uncover secrets, get to know himself and the surrounding world better. The following works came to life as a result: "Expectation" (1967) and “Nestinarka” (1973), "Orpheus"(1969), “Rachenitsa" (1970), “Motherland” (1972) and "Earth and Man"(1977), which are characterized by sincerity and determination. The sculptor created monuments giving an account of both the drama and heroism of past events and his reflections and judgments on the present. Thus the ensemble “Serdica” (Sofia, 1977) the reliefs “Calvary” and "Pledge” (Town of Panagyurishte, 1978) and the monuments "Spartacus" (Town of Sandanski, 1979), 'Khan Asparuh” (Town of Dobrich, 1981) and "The Unification"(City of Plovdiv, 1985) came to life. The works created by the artist over the past 20 years differ from the aforementioned ones. They are a consequence of the years of accumulated wisdom and the artist’s exploration of expressive sculptural form, yet they are most of all the result of the distinctive presence of the artist’s personality.

The “Velichko Minekov” exhibition features more than one hundred of the sculptor’s works, owned by the Sofia City Art Gallery, the National Art Gallery, the “Stanislav Dospevski” Art Gallery in the city of Pazardzhik and private collectors.

HOUSING MODELS Experimentation and Everyday Life

19 October 2009 - 08 November 2009

SOFIA ARCHITECTURE WEEK is the largest international architecture forum in Bulgaria. Its second edition tol be held under the motto "Changing Urban Visions" is scheduled to run from October 30 through November 5.

The city we live in and the space we cross every day as we go through our everyday routines are of importance to us all. Therefore they need to be the subject of a large-scale discussion. And this is exactly what Sofia Architecture Week ’09 aims at, namely to encourage the citizens of Sofia to think about their city and enhance their everyday life, as well as to inspire architecture and urban planning professionals with fresh ideas and chances to meet some of their internationally-acclaimed counterparts.

Curators of the exhibition Oliver Elser (Germany) and Michael Rieper (Austria) present twelve housing projects, exploring the question of how experiments in architecture bearing upon everyday life might play out. In contrast to typical architectureexhibitions, it is not architects that are the focus of attention, but rather the dwellings and their inhabitants.

The exhibit features a variety of housing models ranging from social housing in Chile, through Vienna’s biggest self-governing community and cultural building, the Sargfabrik, to high-end market-rate housing in Tokyo.

Specially for the purpose of the exhibition social housing inhabitants have photographed their dwellings and their surrounding environment having added their comments to each photograph.

Each project is presented by anarchitectural model, some of them being built in full size so as to allow visitors to go inside.
The exhibition also features the presentation of a study giving an account of everyday life in Bulgaria, comparing current living conditions in the latter with those abroad.

A public discussion entitled “Typology of Housing Models in the 21st century”, to be moderated by Peter Torniov will be held on October 20 /Tuesday/ at 6pm within the framework of the exhibition.

EDMOND DEMIRDJIAN

17 September 2009 - 25 October 2009

The exhibition was prompted by the artist’s sudden and untimely death. It is a tribute exhibition affording us yet another opportunity for an encounter with his work, which possesses enormous positive energy.

Without being a retrospective, the exhibition covers various periods and tendencies in the artist’s work. Part of the exhibition is devoted to early works completed in the early 1970’s, which the artist was planning to present in a separate exhibition. The latter constitutes a project demonstration the artist’s approach to his work and his commitment to the creation of art.

The exhibition is comprised of dozens of drawings dating to various periods of his career that had special value to the artist. Having been created every day and everywhere, those are not preliminary sketches or works meant for presentation at exhibitions, but rather works having a life of their own, indicating a separate trend in the artist’s life.

The exhibition also features some of Edmond Demirdjian’s last works, retrieved from private collections and his studio. The exhibition highlight is the artist’s signature image, namely “the hanging turbots”.

An artist and a musician, Edmond Demirdjian goes down in the history of Bulgarian art as a prominent figure, having filled galleries and concert halls with his bright colours and explosive rhythms. He managed to create his own distinctive style, characterized by the fantastically colourful atmosphere his works exude.

Curator: Maria Vassileva

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Edmond Demirdjian (1951-2009) graduated from the Academy of Arts, Sofia in 1978, majoring in mural painting, to become part of the art scene at home and abroad. He organized numerous solo exhibitions. He worked in the fields of drawing, collage, painting and graphic arts. In 1994 he was granted a US green card for extraordinary ability in the field of art. In the period between 1994 and 1998 he split his time between the USA and Bulgaria. In 1995 he was awarded the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship for painting. In 2006 he was granted the Sofia extraordinary merit award for exceptional achievement in the field of art and culture, as demonstrated by the “Unexhibited Works by Edmond” Exhibition at the 6 “Shipka” Gallery, Sofia. His career as an artist may be divided into several periods: 1978-1983, when he created figure compositions, interiors and still-life in a constructivist manner; 1983-1987, when he painted mainly grotesque figure compositions using tempera paints in expressionist style; following 1987, when his art started becoming more and more influenced by abstract expressionism. In 2008 he opened a gallery of his own, namely the "Edmond Studio and Salon" at the 21 “March 13” St in Sofia. www.edmondartist.com, http://edmonddemirdjian.blogspot.com

PETER DOCHEV 75th Anniversary of the Artist

14 September 2009 - 11 October 2009

Peter Dochev’s name is associated with the birth and development of industrial landscape in Bulgarian art during the second half of the twentieth century. The Sofia City Art Gallery exhibition commemorating the 75th anniversary of his birth aims to give a comprehensive idea of Peter Dochev’s work following his evolution as an artist.

Peter Dochev entered the Bulgarian art scene in 1963 to become a permanent fixture on it. His work is characterized by the emphasis on solid form, no-frills composition and the fine nuancing of colour. Peter Dochev’s work during the 1960’s is best illustrated by works such as “On the Bus”, “Worker”, and “Metallurgical Workers”. Human figures are big, taking up most of the space on the canvas. Painting backgrounds are “clear”. They do not contain excessive or insignificant detail. Peter Dochev was not afraid of emptiness. He joined forces with it to attain higher emotional expressiveness. His 1970’s industrial landscapes are characterized by a “clear” background, concentration on details or form configurations. The artist tried his best to make art out of each element of the depressing reality of the Kremikovtsi Metallurgical Complex. Using purely artistic means, Peter Dochev stood his personal and artistic ground, acting like an objective observer.

In the late 1970’s and the early 1980’s the artist created a great number of urban landscapes. There came a moment in Peter Dochev’s artistic development during the 1980’s, when the landscape left the bounds of nature. Colourful spots and relieves stand out from the black background in “Black Earth”, “Charred Earth”, “Terrain”, “Old Vineyards”, etc. Peter Dochev’s work during the 1990’s is characterized by the absence of specific imagery. During the 1990’s he started off with the comparision between relief, or pure forms to embrace the use of purely geometrical shapes like the circle and the square.
In 2000 he started concentrating on the black colour to later pass on to gold as a sign of eternity. In his last artworks the artist attains a total synthesis, based on the geometry of the circle and the square. They are signs of the purity of forms, containing the concentrated emotion and extreme expressiveness of the gesture of creation.

Peter Dochev had an acute sense of highlighting the essential and significant. This facilitated his smooth and consistent progression from analysis to synthesis, from nature to an absolutely clear form bearing the meaning of a sign.

Peter Dochev was born in 1934 in the village of Lesidren, District of Lovech. In 1956 he finished the High School of Arts in Sofia as a disciple of the artist Ivan Hristov. Over the period 1957-1959 he studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia with Prof. Iliya Petrov and Prof. Nenko Balkanski. Between 1960 and 1975 he was a chief artist at the Kremikovtsi Metallurgical Complex. In 1963 he started regularly participating in group exhibitions and in 1967 he became a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. Over the period 1975-2005 he lived and worked in the village of Lesidren, District of Lovech. He died in Sofia in 2005.

DIALOGIES WITH TIME Paintings from the Sofia City Art Gallery collection dating from the mid-20th century through the beginning of the 21st century.

14 July 2009 - 06 September 2009

The exhibition, featuring more than 80 paintings by 46 Bulgarian artists, is a showcase of the Sofia City Art Gallery collection. Works included in the exhibition date from the mid-20th century through the beginning of the 21st century. They give an idea of the spirit of the time they were created in, as well as of the artistic trends and changes in Bulgarian art.

The exhibition features the works of prominent artists such as Ivan Nenov, Dechko Ouzounov, Vera Nedkova, Vasil Barakov, Stoyan Sotirov, Kiril Petrov, who studied in Munich, Paris, Vienna and whose artistic career started before World War II to be continued after the war ended. Their works, as well as those of applied artists having worked in the 1920’s, 1930’s and the early 1940’s provided the basis and inspiration for the generation of artists whose career started in the 1960’s, namely Svetlin Rousev, Ivan Kirkov, Yoan Leviev, Dimitur Kirov, Georgi Bozhilov, Genko Genkov, Georgi Baev, Alexander Petrov, Magda Abazova, Peter Dochev, Ivan Voukadinov, Lika Yanko. The latter generation brought painting back to prominence in the Bulgarian art scene leading the way for many decades through its works and truly distinctive artistic approaches.

The trends set by the generations to follow are presented in the works of Nikolay Masterov, Ivan Dimov, Dimitur Bouyokliiski, Toma Trifonovski, Hristo Simeonov, Dimitur Kazakov-Nero, Yordan Katsamounski, Dinko Stoev, Sasho Stoitsov, Milko Bozhkov, Andrei Daniel, Svilen Blazhev, Ivaylo MIrchev, as well as in the early 21st century works of the youngest generation of artists represented by Mihaela Vlaseva, Ivan Kostolov, etc.

Earlier this year, namely in April, 2009, the exhibition was presented in the Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow as part of the “Sofia Days in Moscow” initiative.

NIKOLAI DIULGEROV Multiple Artistic Identity. Roma - Torino - Sofia, 20082009

08 July 2009 - 30 September 2009

Nikolay Diulgerov /1901- 1982/ is among the representatives of Italian futurism. An architect, an artist, a designer and an urban ad designer, he was declared honorary citizen of the city of Turin, where he spent most of his artistic career.

The „Nikolay Diulgerov. Multiple Artistic Identity” Exhibition was to take place in 2001 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth, while its present opening is meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Futurist Manifesto published in Paris by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Curator: Irina Genova, design of the exhibition and the catalogue: Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova.

Following the successful presentation of the „Nikolay Diulgerov. Multiple Artistic Identity” Exhibition in Rome in November and December, 2008 at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, National Academy of St Cecilia, as well as in Turin in May and June, 2009 at Castello del Valentino, today the central building of the Architecture faculty of the Politecnico di Torino, the exhibition has arrived in Sofia.

The exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of Nikolay Diulgerov's birth is a follow-up to the „Nikolay Diulgerov. Works from Collections in Bulgaria” Exbition presented at the Sofia City Art Gallery in 2000 in cooperation with the National Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of the city of Kiustendil in relation to the lectures delivered by Giorgio di Genova following an invitation of the New Bulgarian University.

The exhibition is presented in Sofia with kind support from the Sofia City Municipality. An exhibition catalogue is available.
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The presentation of the „Nikolay Diulgerov. Multiple Artistic Identity” Exhibition in Rome and Turin and the designing of the exhibition's catalogue were made under the Communication Stratey Project of the Repuiblic of Bulgaria for the EU. Bulgarian partners having contributed to the exhibition's organization are as follows: the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Italy, the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome and the New Bulgarian University.

BAZA Award for Contemporary Art Exhibition of the Nominee Artists Bora Petkova, Georgi Georgiev Jorrras, Vikenti Komitski, HR Stamenov, Kamen Stoyanov, Samuil Stoyanov

19 June 2009 - 05 July 2009

For a second year in a row the Institute of Contemporary Art-Sofia is in anticipation of the BAZA award for young author in the field of contemporary art. It falls within the already existing international network of artists from different countries of Central and Eastern Europe (YVAA) and has already gained recognition as one of the most prestigious awards. The contest is open for artists up to the age of 35 working in all media of contemporary art. The prize itself is a grant and a six month scholarship with the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York realized with the support of The Foundation for a Civil Society, New York.

The award aims at stimulating the professional start of the artists offering them more opportunities for participation, development, education and networking in their own countries as well as abroad. This also conforms with the policy of Sofia City Art Gallery to encourage and support projects of young authors and modern art.

The first BAZA edition with the exhibition of the nominees for 2008 got the recognition of the critics as one of the most significant artistic events in our country. This year we are also to witness the first solo exhibition of last year award winner Rada Boukova.

The exhibition of the nominees is an event in itself and is of great interest not only because it presents just one winner. According to the specific character of the contest the reduced number of participant nominees in itself allows for distinguishing a group of leading young artists in the country (the six nominees have been selected among 37 applicants). This also meets the expectations of the viewers for the quality of the exhibition. The presentation of each author includes works created especially for the occasion or already displayed in other solo or representative group exhibitions – paintings, drawings, videos, objects and installation.

The members of the selection committee - Vassileva, Iara Boubnova, Stanislav Pamukchiev, Kiril Prashkov and Ventsislav Zankov.

The winner is Samuil Stoyanov

http://www.samuilstoyanov.com/