Лични данни и образование

Georgi Alaykov (Shopkin) was born on July 6, 1950, in the village of Bogoslov, Kyustendil region, Bulgaria. He studied at the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Sofia (1965–1969) and graduated in Mural Painting from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia in 1974.
In the late 1970s, he created his first monumental works—two frescoes executed in egg tempera at a high school in Kyustendil. In 1997, he completed two large-scale sgraffito panels in the village of Sovolyano, Kyustendil region, further affirming his sustained interest in mural painting and working within architectural environments. As early as the 1980s, he participated actively in national and regional group exhibitions in Bulgaria. In 1983, he presented a solo exhibition at Gallery “Ruski 6” in Sofia.
After a one-year stay in Germany, he arrived in the United States on February 27, 1991. His international presence began with participation in exhibitions in Poland, Cyprus, and Germany. In 1992, he opened a solo exhibition at Georgi Gallery in Berkeley, California, followed by additional solo presentations there in 1994 and 2007. In 1994, he also held a solo exhibition at Brookline High School, Massachusetts. He has taken part in numerous group exhibitions in the United States.
From the mid-1990s onward, he developed an active teaching career in the U.S. Between 1995 and 2001, he taught art at Brookline High School, Massachusetts, and from 1996 to 2003 he served on the faculty of Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. In 1993, he received the Bronze Award in the Discovery competition of Art of California magazine, and in 1995 he was honored with the Nancy Rausen Memorial Award from the American Society of Contemporary Artists in New York. His works are held in numerous private and public collections in Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Poland, France, Spain, and the United States.