ANDREY DANIEL. BETWEEN TWO ERAS

In 2019, Andrey Daniel was asked to put on a solo exhibition together with the SCAG team. In the process of considering the content of the exhibition and the approach to the selection of works, the artist left us. The loss of Andrey Daniel, of his keen mind and extensive knowledge, of his memory of experiences, of the possibility to ask his opinion, including about the choice of supporting text to go with the artworks, necessitated thorough reconsideration of the project resulting in broadening of the scope of the exhibition and the creation of an album featuring the artist’s biography and a catalogue presenting his paintings in chronological order. We decided to keep the title chosen by artist, namely Between Two Eras, and develop the exhibition around the concept suggested by this title.

Between Two Eras is the artist’s sense of belonging before and after, on a borderline, at a crossroads. Having made his choice, Andrey Daniel remained an incredibly consistent artist who became an integral part of our day and age. An artist, a community leader, a colleague, a mentor, he established himself as one of the leading figures in art pushing Bulgarian painting forward at the close of the 20th and the turn of the 21st centuries.

The exhibition and the album that goes with it are the outcome of research and selection of works from government-owned and private collections throughout the country and abroad. They were made possible through cooperation with Andrey Daniel’s family, the Union of Bulgarian Artists, the National Academy of Arts, the National Gallery of Art, national, municipal and private galleries in Sofia and throughout the country, his fellow artists and art historians, photographers and private collectors.

Out of the more than 500 paintings researched and listed in the album, visitors will be able to see more than 160, which will be on display on both of the gallery’s levels. The exhibition features some of the artist’s earliest works, works created in the 1980’s, award-winning works, works that have not been exhibited in the capital city in the past 30 years, as well as works showcasing distinguished cycles and themes emblematic of Andrey Daniel’s art that place him among the most prominent Bulgarian artists of the last four decades.

Театральный октябрь Programme, 1977, oil on canvas, 97.5 х 131.5 cm, Sofia City Art Gallery

Valeri Petrov, 1979, oil on canvas, 92 х 72.5 cm, Sofia City Art Gallery

Between Good and Evil, 1999, oil on canvas, 65 х 65 cm, Sofia City Art Gallery

Homo Ludens, 2008 oil on canvas, 150 х 150 cm Sofia City Art Gallery

The Third Cypress, to the right, 2009, oil on canvas, 130 х 150 cm, Sofia City Art Gallery

Another Nativity, 2011, oil on canvas, 180 х 270 cm, Sofia City Art Gallery

Itsko Fintsi, 1983, oil on canvas, 130 х 90 cm, Stanislav Dospevski Pazardzhik City Art Gallery

The Artist’s Blue Dog, 1985, oil on canvas, 124.5 х 109.5 cm, House of Humour and Satire Museum, city of Gabrovo

Distinguishing Details, 2014, oil on canvas, 118 х 118 cm, private collection

Old Friendship, 1978, oil on canvas, 80 х 160 cm, private collection

And the Ship Sails On (12 Marginalia cycle), 1997, oil on canvas, 130 х 110 cm, private collection

Sunset Over the University of Sofia, 2004, oil on canvas, 90 х 90 cm, private collection

Self-portrait, 2018, oil on canvas, 70 х 60 cm, private collection

Observer (12 Marginalia cycle), 1997, oil on canvas, 130 х 116.5 cm, National Gallery

Essential Things, 1988, oil on canvas, 104 x 104 cm, National Museum in Szczecin, Poland