Asen Vassilliev was born on 2 June 1900, in the town of Kustendil. In 1925, he graduated painting from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia under the Professors: Dimitar Gyudjenov, Nikola Ganushev, Stefan Ivanov and Nikola Marinov. 1926 – 1940: works as a secondary school teacher in Berkovitza, Shumen and Sofia. 1957 – 1959: an assistant-director of the Institute of Art History at the BAS /Bulgarian Academy of Science/. Since 1974 –Professor at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia; member of the ‘Union of Contemporary Art’ and one of the founders of the Union of Bulgarian Artists in Bulgaria.

As an artist, Asen Vassilliev works in the field of compositions with everyday objects and historic compositions, portrait, landscape and still-life. His works can be seen in all museums in Bulgaria and in collections in Germany, France, Romania, Serbia amd Monte Negro, and more. As an art-historian, he works predominantly in the field of Bulgarian Revival. He also takes part in numerous complex scientific expeditions of the BAS. He cooperates in magazines dedicated to art and archaeology. He is the author of 34 monographs and books and of large number of articles.

The exhibition features painting, graphics and drawings, owned by the Sofia Art Gallery, The National Art Gallery, the ‘Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistora’ Art Gallery in the town of Kustendil, Art Gallery in the town of Stara Zagora, private collections and documents of the Central State Archive and the ‘Ivan Duichev’ center of Slavic- Byzantine research.

The objective of the present exhibition is to call to remembrance of the work of the eminent artist and art-historian Asen Vassilliev, who left a deep trace in Bulgarian culture.