The slow and sometimes difficult progress of artistic life in Bulgaria, as well as the gradual growth of artistic taste among the Bulgarian public, can best be understood by looking at the history of art exhibitions in the country. These exhibitions show how hard it was for art to gain recognition in a society that was still focused mainly on political, economic, and educational development after liberation.
The First Art Exhibition in Sofia (1887)
The very first art exhibition in Bulgaria was organised in 1887 by Ivan Angeloff, a teacher at the Sofia Gymnasium and a graduate of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. This exhibition was modest in size and scope. It included only three paintings created in Bulgaria, along with several sketches and studies from Angeloff’s student years in Munich. In addition, drawings made by students of the Sofia Gymnasium were also displayed Travel Bulgaria.
The exhibition was held in one of the drawing rooms of the Gymnasium and was organised in honour of the Bulgarian Prince, who had recently been elected to the throne. Although the Prince visited the exhibition, public interest was extremely limited. Apart from the royal visit, the exhibition attracted little attention and was mainly attended by a small group of the artist’s personal friends. This lack of public response clearly showed how undeveloped artistic awareness still was at the time.
The First Collective Exhibition in Plovdiv (1892)
About five years later, in 1892, the first collective art exhibition in Bulgaria took place. It was organised during the First Bulgarian Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition held in Plovdiv. This time, works by several Bulgarian artists were displayed together. Most of these artists were teachers in secondary schools and gymnasiums.
In addition to their works, paintings and sculptures by Bulgarian students studying at foreign art academies were also included. However, despite this broader participation, the art section attracted very little attention from the public. No printed catalogue of the exhibited works was ever published, which clearly shows how insignificant the exhibition seemed to contemporary observers.
Public and Press Reaction
Only one Bulgarian newspaper, Balkanska Zora, published a detailed article about the exhibition. The article appeared under the initial “M.”, most likely hiding the identity of a Bulgarian artist who had taken part in the exhibition himself. Even the official publication of the exhibition’s administration, which regularly reported on its progress and achievements, completely ignored the art section.
The only exception was a brief mention of a single painting: Holarek’s “The Return of the Bulgarian Prisoners Blinded by Basil I in 1014.” This fact further highlights how little importance was given to Bulgarian art at the time.
These early exhibitions, though largely ignored, laid the foundations for the future development of artistic life in Bulgaria. They reveal the challenges artists faced and show how slowly public interest in fine art began to grow.