The exhibition marks the 120th anniversary of Vesselin Staykov’s birth. More than a retrospective survey, it is a research-driven attempt to unfold the creative process of one of the great masters of Bulgarian graphic art. Although Staykov trained as a painter in the studio of Prof. Tseno Todorov, he remained captivated by the graphic arts for the rest of his life. A particularly strong influence was exerted by Prof. Vasil Zahariev, whose classes at the Academy provided Staykov with his first encounter with printmaking techniques. Having chosen the graphic arts as his primary medium, yet always seeking in painting the richness of color and brushstroke, he continued to paint throughout his entire life.

The exhibition offers a new reading of Staykov’s vast artistic legacy, which includes drawings, wood engravings, lithographs, etchings, and oil paintings. Organized around a thematic approach, the show presents over 150 works, including the series most closely identified with the artist – Melnik, Sozopol, Karlanovo, and Sofia – as well as impressions from his travels to Prague, Paris, Italy, and China.

The theme of Forest holds a special place in the artist’s thematic canon, as does the theme of labor – from Stone Hewers and Boat Repair, through Harvesters, to Tobacco Workers. These works are not simply expressions of social engagement, but profound explorations of the rhythm of everyday life and the compelling visual presence of the human figure. Over five decades – from the 1930s through the 1970s – the artist returned again and again to the same motifs, rendering them in different visual languages. A new and key focus of the exhibition is the presentation of Staykov’s applied work, including stamps and design projects, along with their graphic variations.

The exhibition gives audiences the opportunity to follow how a sketch develops into a painting and is later transformed into a precise wood engraving, lithograph, or drypoint. This “repetition” is not replication, but rather an exploration of the limits of each material. The paintings, set alongside graphic works from the same period and with closely related viewpoints, reveal Staykov as an artist for whom color and line are equally important tools for constructing space.

The project is organized by Sofia City Art Gallery in partnership with the State Archives Agency.

The exhibition includes works and archival materials from the Sofia City Art Gallery, the State Archives Agency, the National Gallery – Sofia, the Vesselin Staykov Family Archive, the Dimitar Dobrovich Art Gallery – Sliven, the Union of Bulgarian Artists, the National Academy of Art – Sofia, the Archive of the Florentine Academy of Fine Arts (Archivio storico presso l’Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze), the Museum of Prints and Drawings, and the State Museums in Berlin – Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz).

Curator: PhD Stanislava Nikolova
Assistant- curator: Ana Topalova

Design: Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova