BULGARIAN ART – THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The permanent collection includes selected paintings and sculptures from the gallery’s collections. It gives the opportunity to trace various trends, currents and styles in Bulgarian art in the first half of the 20th century – from academic realism, through the influences of impressionism and interpretations of the “native”, to the intensive processes and new plastic searches in the 30s – 40s years and the establishment of individual styles.

The exhibition is dominated by the genres preferred during the period – the landscape (Dimitar Gyuzhenov, Nikola Tanev, David Perets, Veselin Staykov) and the portrait (Stefan Ivanov, Iliya Petrov, Elena Karamihailova). There is also a place for the nudes, which is emerging as a new independent genre (Dechko Uzunov, Nikolay Vladov-Smirgela).

A chosen highlight are the works “Cherubs”, “A Peasant Woman with Child on Back” and “Girl” by Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master, who was a central figure in the art of the interwar period.

The compositions of Bencho Obreshkov, Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, Nenko Balkanski, Mara Georgieva and Vaska Emanuilova enrich this small mosaic of new Bulgarian art.