Articles From the Experts

Contemporary Young Bulgarian Authors

Enakor Auction No. 47, 10 April 2025

In the previous parts of the presentation of the works from the collection of Rouzha Marinska (Dimitrov 2024) in the auction №47 of “Enakor” were introduced the works of Bulgarian artists who received their artistic education before 1948 and after 1948, whose work Marinska has researched, published, curated and opened exhibitions. This part will present the works of artists born after the mid-1960s who received their artistic education in the last (slightly more liberated) years before 1989 and after. These works bear the marks of freedom from socialist dogmatism as well as postmodernism, and even the beginning of the end of postmodernism.

In this group we present works by the youngest artists in the collection, many of whom Rouzha calls her “discoveries” because she has noticed, observed and got to know them from the very beginning of their creative career. For many of the young artists, Marinska has written special introductory texts, included them in her own projects and in plein air workshops she has led (Marinska, Daneva 2007; Marinska, 2007; Daneva 2007), curated and opened their exhibitions, where she has given speeches, supported them on their way, advised them, encouraged them and guided them towards new explorations and experiments. Evidence of her care for these young artists are the dedicatory acknowledgements on the backs of their paintings in the collection.

Artists with whom she has worked in particular have expressed their gratitude for her support, advice, and influence by gifting her their work. These particular works were among Marinska’s most intensely experienced, as she writes (Marinska 2020:I, 9-10) – emotionally and intellectually – because she experienced and reflected on them first with their creators in their making, then in their exhibition to the public, and finally intimately in her home. With this visionary and supportive work with the youngest artists, Rouzha Marinska has undoubtedly had an extremely strong influence both on the individual creative development of many artists and on the directions of artistic development in Bulgaria, including in the future, when the young artists she has guided will continue to create.

Contemporary Young Bulgarian Authors in the Collection of Rouzha Marinska

Three works in oil and sand on canvas by Steli Grancharov (b. 1964), “Full Moon,” 1996 (Fig. 1); “Morning Landscape,” 1996 (Fig. 2); and “Composition,” 1997 (Fig. 3), are included in the auction. Dimo Kolibarov (b. 1965) is represented by “The Street”, from the series “Roads,” 2007, etching, aquatint (Fig. 4). Rouzha Marinska greatly valued Lyuben Genov (b. 1966) – she presented and opened more than one of his exhibitions (Marinska 2014), and included him in plein-air workshops under her direction (see Bulgarian Painting at Argos). He was included in the auction with the oil on canvas (Fig. 5) “On the surface of the lake” from the “Acoustic Landscape” series, 2014, with dedication (published in Marinska 2020:II, 273). This painting was placed on a separate wall in a central location in Rouzha’s living room.

R. Marinska valued the contemporary naive and intuitive artists and supported events dedicated to art naive, such as the museum exposition in Belogradchik, the international virtual Biennial NAIV – as chair of the international jury and the trade salons in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo and Varna (Contemporary Bulgarian Naïvists 2023). One of her last texts, which was published after her departure beyond, was the preface to the book “Contemporary Bulgarian Naivists” (Marinska, Osikovska 2023). This book also featured the artist Mariela Dimitrova-Mara (b. 1967), whose lovely work “International Observer”, 2022, author’s technique, canvas, wood, (Fig. 6), welcomed guests in the entrance hall of Rouzha’s home in the last months of her life.

Of the artists born in the late 1960s, the auction included works by Rossen Toshev (b. 1967), whom Marinska has mentioned in general presentations (Marinska 1995), “Still Life,” 2010, watercolour (Fig. 7); Penko Gelev (b. 1968), “Ordinary Conversations, Conversation XXXIII”, 2016 (Fig. 8); and Miglena Panayotova, “No Name,” 1988, watercolour (Fig. 9). Two works by Dimitar Troukanov-Troukan (b. 1970) are included in the auction – “Yellow,” from the Five Elements series (Fig. 10), 2020, and “Abstract Composition” (Fig. 11). Troukanov is a participant in plain air workshops under the direction of Marinska (see Bulgarian Painting at Argos).

Artists born in the 1970s and 1980s are represented in the auction by Dimitar Hinkov (b. 1972), whom Marinska has included in special projects (Marinska 2002a) – “Still Life”, oil (Fig. 12); by Kamen Starchev (b. 1974), whom she has highly praised in a special critical text (Marinska 2017) – “Figure No. 16”, 2014, digital print (Fig. 13). Marinska has repeatedly written about Iva Yaranova (b. 1975), described her as her “discovery,” and included her in plain air workshops (Marinska, Daneva 2007; Marinska, 2007; Daneva 2007; see Bulgarian Painting at Argos) and special projects, in one of which Marinska exhibited and analyzed her alongside Zlatyu Boyadzhiev (Marinska 2002a; 2003; 2008). Yaranova is represented in the auction by two works in oil, “Composition with Foxes”, 2001 (Fig. 14) and “Composition with Owl”, on wood (Fig. 15). Both works were on display in Rouzha’s living room – “The Foxes” in a central spot, and “The Owl” standing half-hidden under the huge, tree-sized houseplants.

Mona Moneva (b. 1980) is also represented with two works – the magnificent oil canvas “Puppeteer”, with dedication (Fig. 16) and the acrylic “Owl”, (Fig. 17). An uncertain attribution is that of (Anelia?) A. Alexandrova (b. 1979), represented by the lithograph Baba Vida, 2002 (Fig. 18). Lyubomir Naydenov is present with the ink drawing “Tarnovo”, 2000 (Fig. 19).

In the auction with works from Rouzha Marinska’s collection, you will be able to win works by contemporary young artists, experienced and reflected by the great art historian, whom she has discovered, appreciated, supported. Marinska had found something characteristic, innovative and with great potential for development in their artworks. Each of these works bears the traces of the sincere and warm relationship between the art historian and the artist – both professional and human. The value of these artworks is not limited to their own artistic qualities and their potential for future enhancement; they also carry the additional value of Rouzha Marinska’s personal, emotional, yet expert attitude towards art. The very reasonable starting prices of the works in the auction will make it possible for these works, which bear the mark of Rouzha Marinska’s high appreciation, to reach any of her friends, students and admirers, as well as connoisseurs of contemporary Bulgarian art.

Rositsa Gicheva-Meimari, PhD

Senior Assistant Professor in the Art History and Culture Studies Section and member of the Bulgarian-European Cultural Dialogues Centre at New Bulgarian University 

February 22th 2025

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