Nikolay Dyulgerov: Multiple Artistic Identity, Roma-Torino-Sofia
July 8-September 30
Nikolay Dyulgerov (1901-1982) is among the representatives of Italian futurism. An architect, an artist, a designer and an urban ad designer, he was declared honorary citizen of the city of Turin, where he spent most of his artistic career. Now, the Sofia City Art Gallery is paying a tribute to the artist with the exhibition Nikolay Dyulgerov (1901-1982), Multiple Artistic Identity, which will be on show until the end of September on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Futurist Manifesto published in Paris by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.

The exhibition comes to Sofia after its successful presentation in Italy. In November-December 2008 it was on show in Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica of the Academy of St Cecilia and in May-June 2009 it opened in Turin’s Castello del Valentino -hosting today the Faculty of Architecture of the city’s Polytechnic School.

Back in 2000, the Sofia City Art Gallery in cooperation with the National Art Gallery and Kyustendil Art Gallery had presented the exhibition Nikolay Diulgerov. Works from Collections in Bulgaria in relation to the lectures delivered by Giorgio di Genova following an invitation of the New Bulgarian University. The idea was that in 2001, a century after Dyulgerov’s birth, to organize an exhibition on the artist’s Italian era. This never happened, so the present exhibition is a follow-up of the 2000 show and comes to commemorate the

The exhibition, which is curated by Irina Genova and designed by Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova -who also designed the catalogue- is divided in two parts. One unfolds inside the Art Gallery and the other right next to it, by the garden of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, in order to be accessible by passers by.

Dialogues with Time
July 14-September 6
A week after the opening of the Nikolay Dyulgerov exhibit, the Sofia City Art Gallery inaugurated a very interesting show of paintings from its own collections, dating from the mid-20th through the beginning of the 21st century. The exhibition titled Dialogues with Time is featuring more than 80 paintings by 46 Bulgarian artists. The works included in the show give an idea of the spirit of the time they were created in, as well as of the artistic trends and changes in Bulgarian art.

The exhibition features works by prominent artists such as Ivan Nenov, Dechko Ouzounov, Vera Nedkova, Vasil Barakov, Stoyan Sotirov, Kiril Petrov, who studied in Munich, Paris, Vienna and whose artistic career started before World War II. Their works, as well as that by artists in the 1920s, 1930s and the early 1940s provided the basis and inspiration for the next generation, namely Svetlin Rousev, Ivan Kirkov, Yoan Leviev, Dimitur Kirov, Georgi Bozhilov, Genko Genkov, Georgi Baev, Alexander Petrov, Magda Abazova, Peter Dochev, Ivan Voukadinov, Lika Yanko. It was that generation who brought painting back to prominence in the Bulgarian art scene leading the way for the decades that followed.

The trends set by the next generation are presented in the works of Nikolay Masterov, Ivan Dimov, Dimitur Bouyokliiski, Toma Trifonovski, Hristo Simeonov, Dimitur Kazakov-Nero, Yordan Katsamounski, Dinko Stoev, Sasho Stoitsov, Milko Bozhkov, Andrei Daniel, Svilen Blazhev, Ivaylo MIrchev, as well as in the early 21st century works of the youngest artists, like Mihaela Vlaseva, Ivan Kostolov, etc.

Dialogues with Time had been presented earlier this year (April 2009) at the Russian Academy of Arts in Moscow as part of the Sofia Days in Moscow program.