Lyubomir Yanev: Between the Visible and the Forgotten
23 July – 30 August 2026
Opening: 23 July 2026, 6:00 PM
On 23 July 2026 at 6:00 PM, the Art Gallery – Ruse presents an exhibition of works by Lyubomir Yanev (1951–2004), an artist with a distinctly individual presence, whose creative path unfolds beyond the established frameworks of Bulgarian art in the second half of the 20th century.
In critical and journalistic texts, he is often described as “unpredictable” – a characterization that encompasses both his personal demeanor and the dynamics of his artistic practice. After active participation in exhibitions, biennials, and international forums, Yanev gradually distanced himself from the central art scene. In the final years of his life, he chose to live and work in the village of Staro Stefanovo near Lovech – a gesture that further emphasizes his distance from the institutional art environment and his independent creative path.
His education in Illustration at the National Academy of Arts (graduated in 1975) laid the foundation for a professional practice in which book graphics, easel drawing, and experimentation coexist in a natural dialogue. Over the years, Yanev participated in numerous exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad, and his works are included in prestigious museum and private collections.
Today, more than two decades after his death, his drawings, prints, and illustrations impress with their refined visual language, precise draftsmanship, and rich imagination. In them, the real and the imaginary coexist, while the visual world unfolds between observation, dream, and allegorical thinking.
The present exhibition offers an opportunity to rediscover an artist whose contribution to Bulgarian graphic art remains significant, and whose visual world continues to be relevant and compelling today. The exhibition is not a retrospective survey, but an encounter with an artist who remains both recognizable and difficult to define unequivocally – an author who continues to pose questions to the viewer.
The exhibition is made possible thanks to Boris Yanev, the artist’s son, who has provided part of his father’s artistic legacy for presentation to the Ruse audience.
