The GALLERIES. COLLECTIONS. WORKS project by the Union of Bulgarian Artists and the Support of Art in Bulgaria Foundation, in its third edition, presents a general exhibition, featuring the galleries of the towns of Pazardzhik, Yambol, Lovech, and Veliko Tarnovo.

The exhibition marks a significant development of the project’s concept. The intention to bring forward emblematic pieces from art collections across the country has, over the course of the project, expanded the scope of possible perspectives, especially in an effort to view Bulgarian art not only in its linear progression but also in relation to the early stages and evo-lution of museum and gallery practice in Bulgaria.

It is no coincidence that the unique evolution of each of the twelve galleries involved since 2022, has revealed common characteristics, following comparable stages of institutional growth and processes over time. Their roots often trace back to the early decades of the 20th century, when town community centres, driven by a deep sense of cultural and national duty, began organising the first art exhibitions and initiated the creation of collections, featuring mainly works of local artists.

Somewhere after the 1950s, these collections became part of regional history museums, and later, with varying institutional support and available means, these collections evolved into independent institutions—District Art Galleries—between the late 1960s and mid-1980s. The expansion of their collections largely depended on state support and acquisitions from themed General Art Exhibitions (GAE), held in major cities across the country.
Due to the political and economic changes after 1989 and the lack of resources to continue that cultural policy, a great number of these collections has remained reflective of the artistic intensity and cultural dynamics of the second half of the 20th century. They comprise the names of significant Bulgarian artists from that period, whose works embody the defining artistic trends of the time. Acquisitions from the GAEs played a key role in shaping the iden-tity of each gallery’s collection. For instance, the Pazardzhik Art Gallery holds a significant collection of portraits, thanks to the Portrait GAE exhibitions held there. The portrait gallery, featured as part of the current exhibition, presents major figures in Bulgarian painting, who have excelled in portraiture from the National Revival period to the present day.

The Yambol Art Gallery naturally focuses on Yambol-born artists such as Georges Papazoff, Georgi Popov – John, and Kiril Krastev. The town’s role as the birthplace of Bulgaria’s first modernists from the early 20th century is emphasised and intriguingly resonates with the work of one of Yambol’s earliest art pioneers, iconographer Aleksandar Popgeorgiev.

The Lovech Art Gallery presents a strong selection of works by leading figures in Bulgarian art from the second half of the 20th century. The curation, featuring names such as Georgi Bozhilov, Andrey Daniel, Dimitar Kazakov, and others—relies primarily on the expressive, stylistic execution that characterises the broader artistic context of the period.

The gallery in Veliko Tarnovo participates with a selection of landscape artists, associated with the town, with the gallery’s patron, Boris Denev, undoubtedly standing out. A signifi-cant part of the Tarnovo collection was formed via the A Look Through the Centuries GAE, which laid the foundation for one of the country’s most important collections of Bulgarian art on historical topics.

In the collective exhibition, each gallery retains its individual character. Yet spontaneously formed connections between artists, topics, and stylistic traits emerge, layering the exhibition with subtle interrelations. It is precisely these connections that bring forth the invisible dia-logues between the pieces. Thus, the exhibition should not be viewed merely as a systematic visual illustration of the project’s concept, but mostly as a complex organism, in which the four parts of the display pulse together in a unified rhythm.

Aneliya Nikolaeva
Curator

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Photos from the opening can be viewedhere