Opening – January 23, 2025 at 5:30 p.m.

In October 2024, the Art Gallery – Dobrich took part in the second edition of the “Galleries. Collections. Works” Project with a selection on the theme “The Land” from its collection. The project was initiated by the Foundation “Support of Art in Bulgaria” and the Union of Bulgarian Artists. The galleries of Burgas, Shumen, Varna and Dobrich were presented in a joint exhibition in the halls of the Union of Bulgarian Artists at 6 Shipka Street. The idea is for the capital’s audience to meet the galleries from the country through highlights from their collections, with the focus being on the individual profile of the respective collection, with reference to the history of its creation and development.

For the 60 years since its establishment, the main theme for the Dobrich Art Gallery in its collecting and exhibition activities has been the land and people of Dobrudzha. Thus defined, the theme is broad, multifaceted and has found artistic realization in hundreds of works stored in the fund. It provides an opportunity for philosophical, multi-layered interpretation, for a look at the history of this region, for recreating the landscape of Dobrudzha, agricultural labor in different seasons, the fruits of the earth and quite naturally predetermines the thematic scope and profile of the gallery.

The theme of Dobrudzha in the visual arts is particularly important also because of the dramatic historical fate of the region and the few preserved works of art in the period 1913 – 1940. It inspired national artists from different generations and became the occasion for holding the large national General art exhibitions “Land and People” in Dobrich from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s.

The works we have selected are by some of the biggest names in Bulgarian painting: Ivan Mrkvichka, Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master, Alexander Petrov, Nayden Petkov, Vasil Stoilov, Boris Denev, Tsenko Boyadzhiev, Dobri Dobrev, Atanas Yaranov, Vanko Urumov, Ivan Stoilov – The Bunker, Aneta Dragushanu, Rumen Gasharov, Svetlin Rusev, Petar Dochev, Keazim Isinov. We have also included the work “Harvesters in Dobrudzha” by Gospodin Zhelyazkov, who was born in Northern Dobrudzha, as well as “Mill” by Nikola Tahtunov and “Autumn Landscape” by the Dobruzha artist Gancho Mihaylov.

This collection presents the stylistic diversity and searches in Bulgarian fine art from the 1890s to the 1980s and is united by the theme of land, which makes it interesting and significant from a cognitive, professional and research perspective.