I want to write this article to collect notable names of Bulgarian artists. They are all talented and dedicated to their work. If you look at their works, you will feel art in a different way. They are so different, but each of them carries the charge and love for art. It’s omnipresent, genuine and intoxicating. Children of the light, experimenters and innovators. Each of us has heard the names of Vladimir Dimitrov – the Master, Zlatju Boyadzhiev, Tsanko Lavrenov and Ivan Murkvicka. They are the so-called classics of Bulgarian painting and belong to the 19th century. Here I would like to pay due attention to the established artists born at the beginning, middle and end of the 20th century. Those who have remained alive and with a fresh new look into the future. They created for us what is today the face of Bulgaria. Here is my ranking of the fifteen most famous Bulgarian artists. Happy reading!

Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master

Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master was born in 1882 in the Kyustendil border village of Florosh. A seven-year-old is left semi-invalid after a shootout. In the same year, his grandfather Pop Peter, who was his other material support in the family, also died. So the family moved to Kyustendil. The master worked various jobs in Kyustendil. As a painter, a newspaper seller, an assistant in a hotel, and finally he worked at the Kyustendil Court as a clerk. There he met prominent people, with whose help he opened his first exhibition in 1903. The same year, he joined the drawing school in Sofia with the help of lawyers and judges. In 1912 he worked as a military artist in the Balkan War. In 1922, he organized an exhibition at the Royal Arena, from which he collected funds and left for Italy. In 1923, he participated in an exhibition with notable Roman artists and was noticed by an American patron – Crane, who signed a four-year contract with him to sell his paintings. In 1924, he opened an exhibition in the village of Divlya. From it are some of his most significant works: “The Reaper”, “Sisters”, “Kalotino”. In 1928 he went to Prague to give some of his paintings to Crane. The American patron terminated his contract with the Master the same year and he moved to the village of Shishkovtsi, where the Kyustendil fields became his studio. He painted poppy gardens, cherry trees, painted peasants holding grapes. His paintings are colorful and reflect the rural life of that time. In 1950, he was awarded the title of “People’s Artist”. He died in 1960 and was buried in the village of Shishkovtsi. A large percentage of his works are preserved to this day in the Kyustendil Art Gallery.

Zlatyu Boyadzhiev

Zlatyu Boyadzhiev was born on 22 October 1903 in the village of Brezovo – Plovdiv. Boyadjiev was a Bulgarian artist known for his colorful works and figurative compositions. He is known for his colorfulness and emotional content. His canvases “Child”, “Village of Brezovo”, “On the Table” are emblematic. He is a close friend of Tsanko Lavrenov. The two artists created together and helped each other for many years. In the 1920s they were among the first young and modern artists of Plovdiv. In the forties they parted and each went his own way, but they remained friends forever. In 1950 the artist suffered a severe stroke and became half paralyzed. He began to paint with his left hand. His work is divided into two distinct periods. The first period is classical, while the second is characterized by grotesque imagery and multi-compositional canvases. He died on 2 February 1976 and most of his works are arranged in the Plovdiv gallery.

Цанко Лавренов

Tsanko Lavrenov was born on November 24, 1896 in Plovdiv. His grandfather Lawrence was a scribe, copyist of Catholic manuscripts. The artist is from a wealthy family and it can be said that French was spoken in his family. There were musicians in his family, and he performed in the field of painting. The first work that brought him fame was the watercolor painting “Icon Painter” from 1926.

Tsanko Lavrenov graduated from the French College in Plovdiv and entered a private art school in Vienna (1921-1922), but due to a severe economic crisis in Austria, he had to end it.

In 1925 he traveled to Italy to familiarize himself with the art of Italian artists. As a self-taught artist, hе had to face many disappointments during his stay among the graduates of the Art Academy. His exhibition was met with both enthusiastic and negative reviews appeared in the press for the same paintings. Appreciating his exceptional talent, some prominent Bulgarian artists gave him selfless support. In 1928-1929, the artist briefly lived in Sofia and worked as an illustrator in a printing house. In 1934, together with Daniel Dechev, he founded an advertising association for the design of stands for the Plovdiv Fair. At the beginning of 1930, he participated in the “Kurshum Khan” competition and won it with his painting of the same name. Produces a series of cards with landscapes of the hills.

He visited the Athos monasteries, where the artist had the chance to enter deeply into the world of old Bulgarian and Byzantine art. There he rediscovered new truths about Bulgarian history. This is his Athonian cycle. The monasteries are painted from several perspectives. However, the main theme of his work is the old Plovdiv. This is his trademark.

The artist also worked on some illustrations for magazines such as “Zov” and “Detski zhivot”. In 1937, he was the author of the Economic Map of Bulgaria in the Bulgarian Pavilion in Paris. In 1941-1942 his paintings were presented in Germany, Hungary and Austria. Tsanko Lavrenov is remembered for his distinctly Bulgarian style of painting. It is influenced by secession. In 1964-1967 he organized several solo exhibitions in Prague, Budapest, Berlin and Moscow. He died on December 16, 1978. His emblematic works are “Village Fair in Plovdiv”, “Little Night Music”. It leaves behind a solid cultural presence. There is a large array of publications and monographic studies on artists.

Ivan Murkvicka

The name Ivan is actually the Bulgarian version of Jan, which is his real name from his native country Czech Republic. Ivan Murkvicka arrived in Bulgaria in 1882. He made it his second homeland and was on his way to build the image of then Bulgaria in his paintings. He was transferred as a cadre to Plovdiv from Prague to teach. On the eve of the Liberation he met P.R. Slaveykov, P. Karavelov and K. Velichkov, with whom he shared common causes. These men would shape his thinking. Murkvicka taught at the Plovdiv Men’s High School, and even that is a great contribution to us. He graduated from the Munich Academy of Art under Professor Otto Seitz, and before that from the Academy in Prague. The artist’s Plovdiv period was the most fruitful. He completed numerous works, including “Market in Plovdiv”, “Plovdiv Market”, “Gypsy Merrymaking”, “Bird Seller”. In them one can see the author’s striving for realism and naturalness. In them one observes a balance of nuances without sharp contrasts. However, the artist’s most famous painting is “The Handmaid”, which he painted in Sofia in 1906. The painting has two versions. It is currently in the Quadrate 500 Gallery and is one of the masterpieces of Bulgarian art. In 1892 the artist took part in the Plovdiv Fair. In 1894 the first edition of Under the Yoke was published. Murkvicka and Mitov made his illustrations. Together with Ventsislav Dobruvski they painted the first Bulgarian coat of arms used in the period from 1881-1927.

Bencho Obreshkov has the honour to have built himself as an artist in the bosom of two artistic schools and these are the German and the French. He was born on 27 April 1899 in Karnobat. In 1918-1920 he studied at the Industrial Art School in Sofia, and then graduated from the Dresden Academy of Art under Oskar Kokoschka and Otto Dix. In 1925-1927 he was already participating in exhibitions in Paris. Obreshkov worked in the genre of portraiture and still life. He also painted sailors and fishermen, people on the beach, working in the fields, and picnickers. Characteristic for him are the masterful rendering of the image in his portraits and the psychological state of the model. His landscapes are always populated with figures. He is characterized by bright coloring and simple volumetric forms. He paints many seascapes, rural landscapes, and urban environments. Some of his works in dry pastel, watercolour and oil pastel have survived, although he painted mainly in oil. His still lifes are rare.

He skillfully synthesized the painterly techniques of Impressionism and Expressionism. Obreshkov was the first “ambassador” of modern painting in our country. He was the first to pose the problems of painting as something apart from reality and naturalness. His paintings are organized and subject to their own laws and aesthetics. In the book about him Kiril Krastev describes him as democratic, genuine, magnetic personality with worldly behavior. During the bombing of Sofia in 1944 over 250 of his paintings were destroyed. During the early period of communism (until 1960) his paintings were returned from exhibitions and there is no record of exhibitions held in this country until 1961. He was considered too modern and a conduit of Western influence during this period. It was not until 1961 that he had a jubilee exhibition in Bulgaria. In 1962 he made a joint exhibition with Zlatyu Boyadjiev. His portraits are memorable for their strong sense of expressiveness. He was also the main artist of the 1961 film “Peter the Huntsman”. Many of his paintings have been exhibited in Europe and Moscow.

Andrey Daniel

Andrei Daniel was born on 28.03.1956 in Ruse and is a Bulgarian artist of Jewish origin. In 1977 he graduated from the Academy in Sofia under Professor Dobri Dobrev. He is the son of the famous theatre director Leon Daniel. In 1994-1995 he taught a master class in painting at Seoul University. Two years later he worked in Switzerland and then was invited to Paris. He has made over 100 oil paintings in this country and abroad. He has also done mural projects. This is not enough for him. He is also branching out into theatre. He has worked on 20 scenographic projects in this country. His works have been exhibited in Sweden, Portugal, Russia and Austria. He paints academic things, portraits, nude, still life. The artist says about himself that he performs narratively. This is also very necessary for lovers of his paintings. So they learn a lot of new things He is also famous for the series “Drunks, Saints, Artists”. After his death, the Sofia City Gallery gave him an honorary exhibition in all three of its halls. This is all too rare for an artist in this country.

Grady Assa

Grady Assa was born on 29.01.1954 in Pleven. He is a Bulgarian artist of Jewish origin. In 1981 he graduated in mural painting at the University of Veliko Tarnovo. Textiles and painting are inextricably linked in his mind. He got his love for textiles and painting from his mother at an early age. His parents did not want him to study alone in Sofia. Through friends he learned new techniques in painting. He and several artists founded a group called “The City”. They themselves are critics of their works. They were invited to Spain, Austria and England. In 1989 they founded a gallery of the same name, which was also the first private gallery founded by artists. Currently, Grady Assa is the rector at the Academy of Fine Arts majoring in Fashion. After the dissolution of the group “The City”, Grady Assa returned to painting. He uses, watercolors, ink, oil. His style is expressive. The power of contrast in his works is a major element. His recent works are light , transparent, ethereal. His well-known paintings are “Drift”, “California Lighthouse”, “The Fan”.

Nikolay Panayotov

Nikolay Panayotov was born in 1956 in Sofia. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in the capital in 1983 with a degree in mural painting. He taught the same specialty for nearly ten years at the Academy. After many exhibitions, he also obtained a studio in Paris, where he often stayed with his wife and has been creating for 30 years. Paris is his favourite place not only for work but also for entertainment. He often stays in small and comfortable Parisian cafés near the Louvre, where he has a sweet treat. Besides the cafés, the artist can also be spotted in some elite gourmet restaurants with his family. The press has been writing about him for a long time. Sometimes he also surrounds himself with some lounge lions for company like Evgeni Minchev. Apart from the capital of France, his love for Normandy is incurable, as with many other artists. The place is a mecca for artists from all over the world. He works in mixed media, watercolor, pastels, oil, acrylics, collage .He is inspired by the line under the pressure of gravity. He follows it and uses it to paint two-dimensional and three-dimensional images that are complex grotesques.

He is attracted by street art – graffiti, caricature, animation. His works are bizarre, strange, surreal. He plays with colour and form. In 2016 he painted monochrome without colour. 2020 is his most fruitful year in terms of creativity. Autumn canvases he likes to make and conical sculptures from paper and other materials. The cone in general is a figure firmly embedded in his work.

Genko Genkov

Genko Genkov was born in the Plovdiv village of Choba in 1923 and is known for his bohemian lifestyle and colorful art. He studied painting at the Academy of Arts , from which he was rejected due to a dispute with the professor. He painted landscapes and still lifes in deep complex colours. His favourite palette was red, purple and orange. In 1956 he was for a time in an insane asylum. He became famous during his lifetime, today his paintings sell for over 5000 leva. He has an adopted daughter Eugenia. He has had numerous solo exhibitions. He paints around the clock. The artist paints among fields and fields, mountains, hidden villages. Most of my paintings are from the area of Rudartsi village. He loves Burgas and paints in the garden and on the beach. Genko is not looking for studios he wants to have an immediate contact with nature.

Passers-by do not bother him. His paintings for many people are strange, shocking fauvistic. Genko shows sensitivity and sentimentality in his paintings. The artist’s canvases in the first half of the 1960s are characterized by softness and a kind of absorbed contemplation. They have a compositional stability. At the end of the 1960s, the artist changes the colour palette to darker and landscapes in cold blue, green and black can be seen. The stroke punctuations are mainly in the dark areas of the landscape. In the 1970s-80s, the artist further complicated his textures. He combines colours that are difficult to tolerate.

Nikolay Tikholov

Nikolay Tikholov was born in 1968 in Kyustendil. In 1987 he graduated from the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Sofia. In 1991 he graduated in Pedagogy at the University of Art in Dupnitsa. He has a diploma as an icon painter and ceramist, and also makes a number of mosaics. He painted a number of churches and chapels in the country. However, his painting is the most interesting. The artist uses bright colours of pink and green, blue and orange, and paints fabulous naive canvases. Usually his canvases show a couple in love on a picnic, listening to music, flying on a rooster, on a bicycle. His paintings express happiness and joy. The forms he paints are clean and simple. He has been painting mainly since 2001.

His earlier works are quite stylized landscapes and flowers. He has organized solo exhibitions in Dupnitsa, Kyustendil, Sofia and Varna, Budapest. He also produces exquisite secession stained glass paintings.

Larisa Ilieva

Larisa Ilieva graduated from the Faculty of Arts in 1996 in Veliko Tarnovo. The following year she had solo exhibitions in Veliko Tarnovo, Varna and Ruse. After 2001 she had solo exhibitions in Russia, Italy and Portugal. In 2003 he received an award for the best pastellist in France. Through pastels Larisa shows her emotionality at its best. She paints traditional landscapes and still lifes.

At the beginning of her work she was a strong supporter of the Russian Classical School. Then she began to make much freer and expressionistic paintings. He began to paint contemporary painting. She is married to Nikolai Panayotov. After 2009 she works in Paris. Classically painted bodies and floral motifs hide in a complex tangle of colors. She has more than 20 solo exhibitions. Increasingly uses mixed media of pastel and oil. He creates a mysterious and veiled world. Her paintings from the Secrets of the Loire exhibition are iconic.

Svetlin Rusev

Svetlin Rusev was born on 14 June 1933 in Pleven. In 1959 he graduated in painting under Dechko Uzunov. Later he also taught at the academy the same specialty. For more than 60 years he created many paintings, murals and drawings. A large percentage of his works are studies of the nude female body. Of course he also made some landscapes and in bright, almost unimaginable colors . One of his major commissions is the church of Grandmother Vanga in Rupite. White and blue are his colours, as well as the thin black line framing the object. The images he creates are powerful and evocative. In addition to being an artist, he was the deputy director of the National Art Gallery and is a collector of artworks. In 1984 he donated 322 paintings to Pleven. He has had dozens of solo exhibitions all over the world. His paintings are owned by numerous private and national collections.

Teofan Sokerov

Teofan Sokerov was born on May 3, 1943 in Lovech. He works in the field of painting, sculpture and mural painting. He has numerous works in the Palace of Justice, the National Palace of Culture-NDK, and the National Museum “Earth and People”. He graduated in painting in 1969 at the National Academy under Professor Petar Mikhailov. He worked for several years in Lovech and there he painted his first picture “Remembrance”. From Lovech he moved to Sofia where since 1994 he has been a professor at the National Academy, majoring in painting. In 2014 he had his 50th anniversary exhibition at the National Academy of Art. His exhibitions have also been held in the UK, France, Turkey and Italy. He is a master of monumental and figurative painting. His canvases resemble collages. He paints mainly with oil and acrylic paints. Some of his fantastic canvases are “Winter Evening” and “Sea World”. He is a winner of the prestigious Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master art award. His canvases are multi-layered, surprising, surreal.

Ivo Petrov

Ivo Petrov was born on 31 May 1971 in Pleven. In 1990 he graduated from the School of Applied Arts in Tryavna, with a degree in Woodcarving. Then he graduated from the University of Veliko Tarnovo, majoring in Painting. From there he has kept warm memories of many friendships. Currently the artist lives and works with his wife Nina in Pleven. The two claim to be very different as artists, but have been working as a duo for 33 years. Their canvases have a slightly poster-like appearance. They pay attention to detail. They paint canvases full of history and luxury. Their work is very vintage. Ivo says he has painted an awful lot of jazz clubs, but they are all so different. With Nina there is a strong 50s,60s and 70s influence. She is characterised by monochrome painting. She works with photographs in sepia. Both artists have exhibited their paintings in France, Turkey, Holland and Russia. They introduce us to an era of jazz, lights, romance and aesthetics. True innovators in pop art.

Пеньо Иванов

Penyo Ivanov was born on 25 July 1977 in Sliven.

In 1996 he graduated from the Secondary Special Art School in Sliven, majoring in Advertising Graphics.

In 2001 he graduated from the University of Veliko Tarnovo with a degree in Painting.

He has made numerous exhibitions in the States, Greece, Sliven. He has been making successful exhibitions since 1995 till today. His first exhibition was also in his hometown Sliven. He likes to experiment with different materials. He likes to create on wood, bottles, layered paper. He has successfully exhibited his paintings in Sofia and abroad.

One of the artist’s qualities are his super realistic images, reminiscent of a colour photograph with impressionistic backgrounds. He is inspired by children, birds, horses, racers, people on the beach. In 2005 he was invited to the USA where he met artists of different nationalities. After this appearance Ivanov exhibited his paintings successfully in several states. Especially exquisite and exciting is his paintings” Spring”, “At Sea”, “Leap in Time”.

These amazing Bulgarian artists all left their footsteps in the path of time. They have given us new directions in how we should see art today. They gave us a variety of colours and subjects.

They taught us what it is to dream. They gave us material for reflection. They connected with our most personal feelings. Through them, we successfully overcame the artist-viewer barrier and they made us think and see like them. They conquered our hearts and welcomed us into their world.