Vernissage on Wednesday, 21 October, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Vera Nedkova House Museum
2nd Floor, 2, 11 August St., Sofia
Vera Nedkova and Kiril Tsonev belonged to the generation of artists who, during the 1930s, changed the face of Bulgarian plastic culture infusing it with a modern European spirit. The profound bond between them represented one of the most significant collegial and creative friendships in Bulgarian art of that period. Surviving memoirs, writings, and documents attest to their outstanding culture and erudition, through which they discovered and valued each other.
Vera Nedkova and Kiril Tsonev, independently spent their youth in major European art centres—Vienna and Munich. Free movement across Europe was a common occurrence for their generation. It played a pivotal role in shaping their world views, distancing them from traditional Bulgarian genre realism and grounding them in the spirit of modern Western plastic culture.
Vera Nedkova returned permanently to Bulgaria in 1934. After a long sojourn in Vienna, she found herself in a highly conservative and closed artistic milieu. The person in whom she recognised a genuine European stature and a modern mindset was the artist Kiril Tsonev. It was he who introduced her to artistic circles and assisted her in arranging her first solo exhibition in Sofia, held at the Preslav Gallery in 1934. It was to him that Nedkova owed the foreword, translation, and preparation of the catalogue featuring Austrian reviews, as well as her acquaintance with Nikola Mavrodinov, a prominent figure in the Bulgarian art world.
Her close creative collaboration with Kiril Tsonev proved pivotal. Recognising her exceptional talent and European expression, he invited her that same year to join the Society of New Artists, the most progressive association in 1930s Bulgaria.
Their encounter, commencing with a collegial support for a young artist’s debut, evolved into a partnership between two creators whose talent and modern outlook shaped the trajectory of Bulgarian painting for a long period of time.
Having long since won the acclaim of both the public and critics, the art of Vera Nedkova and Kiril Tsonev has made a significant contribution to the development of Bulgarian culture.
Media partners: BTA / Bulgarian News Agency; Bulgarian National Television; ELLE, and rozali.com
Diana Draganova-Stier, exhibition curator
