Sculptor Vejdi Rashidov, who owned Vejdi Gallery in Sofia, died after a short illness, people close to him told BTA on Friday. He was 74.
Rashidov served twice as culture minister in Boyko Borissov’s governments, from July 27, 2009, to March 13, 2013, and from November 7, 2014, to January 27, 2017. During his second term, the Culture Ministry helped organize The Saga of the Thracian Kings, an exhibition that opened at the Louvre in April 2015 and brought together more than 1,600 objects from 17 Bulgarian museums.
Rashidov was a Sofia municipal councillor from 1999 to 2003 and served on advisory councils under presidents Petar Stoyanov and Georgi Parvanov. He was an MP in seven parliaments and chaired the 48th National Assembly from October 21, 2022, to February 2, 2023. He represented GERB-UDF in the 49th National Assembly. In August 2023, he resigned as an MP and left GERB and politics. Parliament ended his mandate on September 1.
Born Vejdi Letif Rashidov in Dimitrovgrad on December 14, 1951, he was the son of folk singer Kadrie Latifova, known as the Nightingale of the Rhodopes. After her death, he lived and studied at an orphanage in Studen Kladenets.
He graduated from the Iliya Petrov National School of Fine Arts in Sofia in 1970 and completed his sculpture studies at the National Academy of Art in 1978 under Professor Dimitar Daskalov. He went on to teach at the academy for ten years. In 1985, he won an artist’s residency in Paris at the Cité internationale des arts.
Rashidov took part in more than 50 exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad, showing drawings and watercolours alongside sculpture. He exhibited at the International Sculpture Biennale in Ravenna and the art fair in Basel. His solo exhibitions included shows at UNESCO in Paris in 1989, in Tokyo in 1992 and at the Oscar Wilde Museum in Dublin in 2006. According to his biography, his works are held in collections including the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, the National Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
He designed the statuettes for Bulgarian National Radio’s Sirak Skitnik awards, the Golden Rose film award in Varna, the Interior Ministry’s Police Officer of the Year award and the Education Ministry’s Pythagoras science awards. He opened Vejdi Gallery in Sofia in October 2021.
His honours included the Vatican’s Dante Alighieri Gold Medal in 1981, first prize at the International Biennial of Humour and Satire in Gabrovo in 1983, the VERA Grand Prize for Sculpture in Moscow in 2009 and the Louvre Medal in 2011. He received the Order of Stara Planina in 2002 and became a corresponding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 2004. He was an honorary citizen of Sofia, Dimitrovgrad, Kardzhali, Madan and Pravets.
In 2019, Armenia honoured Rashidov for helping victims of the 1988 Spitak earthquake. He and fellow artist Georgi Trifonov had donated exhibition proceeds to the relief effort.
People close to Rashidov told BTA that a public farewell would be held at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia on Thursday, November 12.
MPs observed a minute’s silence at the start of Friday’s sitting. National Assembly Chair Mihaela Dotsova said Rashidov had “left a mark on Bulgarian art and Bulgarian political life.”
GERB-UDF MP Toma Bikov recalled how divided parties rallied behind Rashidov in 2022, breaking a deadlock over the election of a parliament chair. Rashidov became the first Bulgarian citizen of Turkish descent to hold the post, Bikov said, describing him as someone who “liked to bring people together.”
President Iliana Iotova said in a message of condolence that Rashidov spoke his mind, listened to others and had the dignity to admit his mistakes. He earned recognition at home and abroad and “shared his talent generously,” she wrote.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Rashidov stood by his views even when they were politically inconvenient and that his work would leave “an indelible mark on Bulgarian culture.”
GERB leader Boyko Borissov recalled that the respect between them had endured through difficult times and disagreements. “For me, he was a friend,” he wrote.
The Culture Ministry recalled that Rashidov chose to live, work and exhibit in Bulgaria despite his international acclaim. It called him “a master of the brush, the pencil, clay and every material he touched.”
The National Academy of Art recalled Rashidov’s lifelong ties to the school. It said the statuettes he designed for national awards would carry his creative energy forward to “generations of artists, researchers and discoverers.”
Sculptor Valentin Starchev recalled how Rashidov invited some of Bulgaria’s leading artists to his gallery, and the Union of Bulgarian Artists noted that his work was held in major collections at home and abroad. Sculptor Krum Damyanov told BTA that Rashidov would keep his place in Bulgarian history and remembered him as “a very hardworking and quiet boy.”
Art historian Lyubomir Stoykov and former culture minister Marian Bachev also paid tribute. Ivan Vazov National Theatre Director Vasil Vasilev called Rashidov an exceptional artist whose “talent and sculptures reached beyond Bulgaria’s borders.”
Union of Bulgarian Actors Chair Hristo Mutafchiev and artists Krasen Kralev and Katya Kostova offered their own tributes. Satirical Theatre Director Kalin Sarmenov thanked Rashidov for the trust he had shown him. “Some people take and others give of themselves,” he wrote.
Singer Lili Ivanova offered condolences to Rashidov’s family and addressed him as a dear friend. “Your work will live forever,” she wrote.

Sculptor and Former Culture Minister Vejdi Rashidov Dies THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-11-05 22:09:00

Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Culture news Bulgaria, Bulgarian culture news, Bulgaria cultural news, latest culture news, breaking culture news, Bulgarian arts news, Bulgarian cultural events. Bulgarian artists, Bulgarian art, Bulgarian literature, Bulgarian books, Bulgarian writers, Bulgarian authors, Bulgarian music, Bulgarian musicians. Bulgarian cinema, Bulgarian films, Bulgarian theatre, Bulgarian actors, Bulgarian directors, Bulgarian festivals, cultural festivals Bulgaria. Bulgarian museums, Bulgarian galleries, Bulgarian heritage, Bulgarian traditions, Bulgarian folklore, Bulgarian history, Bulgarian archaeology. Sofia culture, Plovdiv culture, Varna culture, Burgas culture, Ruse culture, Bulgarian cultural heritage, Bulgaria UNESCO heritage. Bulgarian exhibitions, Bulgarian concerts, Bulgarian performances, Bulgarian cultural institutions, Bulgarian national culture, contemporary Bulgarian art, Bulgarian creative industries. Bulgaria cultural events, Bulgarian cultural news, Bulgarian entertainment news, Bulgaria arts and culture, Bulgarian cultural tourism, Bulgarian historical sites, Bulgarian landmarks.

BULGARIA NEWS – NEWS AGENCY 2009–2026 2026-11-05 22:09:00