Self-Portraits of Bulgarian artists

The visible image and the hidden meaning

More than 200 works by 190 Bulgarian painters can be seen at the Sofia City Art Gallery from June 13 to August 24, 2008. The exhibition includes self-portraits of all genres –full-body, head and shoulders, half length or head only- in different postures and close-ups, and is enriched by additional images and objects that offer the visitor the opportunity to step into the personal world of the artist.

The collection captures artistic, cultural and spiritual projections of the self-portrait as a specific art genre. The circle of authors gradually grows with time and reveals known, less known and long forgotten or totally unknown to the public images of Bulgarian painters from different generations.

Canvases submerge the spectator in the image of the painter but also tell stories, guide, imply and reveal obvious things left unnoticed in a captivating way. There are no style limits. The exhibited works are diverse, each with its own language of expression, plastic intimations and visions, from succinct forms to voluble details.