The National Academy of Art will mark the 130th anniversary of its establishment with an academic ceremony at the Central Military Club in Sofia on October 13, as well as with two exhibitions dedicated to the anniversary.
The celebrations are held under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and Science.
Founded in 1896 as the State School of Drawing, the National Academy of Art was established as part of the Bulgarian Revival-era idea of creating a national art school. Its beginnings are associated with the efforts of educators, public figures and artists including Konstantin Velichkov, Ivan Shishmanov, Ivan Mrkvicka and Anton Mitov, who believed that art education was essential to the cultural development of post-Liberation Bulgaria.
From its early years, the school became a centre of artistic life. Alongside training artists and drawing teachers, it organized exhibitions and public lectures on art history, helped develop artistic taste and contributed to establishing the professional and social status of Bulgarian artists.
The exhibition In Honorem Academiae – In Honour of the Academy will open at the Academy Gallery on October 13. Curated by Assoc. Prof. Vasil Kolev, it will feature works by 12 artists who are members of the academic communities of partner academies and universities abroad. The works reflect the diversity of contemporary art and highlight the role of academic environments in artistic development and international exchange. The exhibition will run until November 15. The participating artists are: Bettina Erzgraber, Rector of the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle; Franco Bosisio, Rector of the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin; Prof. Franco Marocco, former Rector of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan; Mariana Smith, Associate Professor of Graphics and Visual Arts at Stockton University, New Jersey; Paola Babini, Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna; Baybora Temel, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Trakya University in Edirne; Istvan Eross, Rector of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest; Prof. Shen Leiping, Vice Dean of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou; Prof. Yang Hongwei, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Graphics at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing; Prof. Zheng Jing from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou; Przemyslaw Wachowski, Rector of the Wladyslaw Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz; and Blazej Ostoja Lniski, Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.
The open-air gallery of Sofia Municipality in Kristal Garden will host a documentary exhibition titled “Photographic Journey” on October 13-27. It traces the history of Bulgaria’s first higher art school, featuring its teachers, students, buildings and events, as well as the atmosphere of each historical period. The exhibition, organized with the support of Sofia Municipality, includes materials from the National Academy of Art, the Archives State Agency, the Bulgarian Historical Archive at the Sts Cyril and Methodius National Library, and the Old Sofia archive.
The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Bulgarian National Radio are media partners of the events.
National Academy of Art Marks 130th Anniversary THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-05 06:39:57
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