Balgarianovinite.com Artist Christo Javacheff (Christo) did not flee Bulgaria, but the repression of the totalitarian regime, journalist Daniel Nenchev said during an event dedicated to The Bulgarian Image of Christo at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris.
At the event, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev presented the French-language edition of BTA’s LIK magazine issue Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity. BTA published the issue last year to mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of the two artists.
Among the special guests were Bulgarian Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev and Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation Director Vladimir Yavachev. The programme also featured interviews with Christo conducted by journalists Evgenia Atanasova-Teneva and Daniel Nenchev, as well as media expert Georgi Lozanov.
Nenchev stressed that Christo’s story began in Gabrovo. He recalled that when the artist left Bulgaria in 1956, he was escaping “a prison” and a regime that dictated what artists could paint, say, and create.
“To have such a powerful drive for freedom, one must be escaping something that is not freedom. Christo managed to do this brilliantly,” Nenchev said.
He noted that the love story and artistic partnership of Christo and Jeanne-Claude began in Paris and welcomed what he described as growing efforts by the Bulgarian state to preserve the artists’ legacy.
Nenchev also highlighted a project by the municipality of Gabrovo to transform a former textile technical school into a contemporary arts centre named after Christo and Jeanne-Claude. He said the initiative offers an opportunity to turn a former socialist-era building into a modern space for art and young creators.
Recalling an interview he conducted with Christo years ago, Nenchev said he had initially been surprised that the artist preferred to speak in English. He later discovered that both Christo and Jeanne-Claude had moved away from their native languages after settling in the United States.
According to Nenchev, adopting English enabled them to work more freely around the world and create their own artistic language, combining Christo’s drawings with Jeanne-Claude’s production vision and organizational talent.
BTA’s LIK magazine issue Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity was published in three translated editions: English, German and French. The French edition was published with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Institute of Air Transport, Sts Constantine and Helena Holding, and INORCOAT.
Since January 2024, LIK magazine has been freely accessible. All issues published since its revival in 2022 can be downloaded in electronic format from BTA’s website. The French issue on Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity is also available on BTA’s website. Journalist Daniel Nenchev: Christo Fled Totalitarian Repression, Not Bulgaria 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-19 05:14:42 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law