Sofia’s Paris Art Gallery Starts Series of Thematic Exhibitions “Masters of Realism”

The Paris Art Gallery in Sofia presents a series of thematic exhibitions titled Masters of Realism. The first of these, Still Life and Beyond, opens Wednesday and will continue the whole May, the gallery team said.

It presents some of the leading Bulgarian names in realism, hyperrealism and surrealism. The title, Still Life and Beyond, suggests some broader boundaries for the rigid notion of still life, the organizers said. There is a breaking of stereotypes and a display of technical mastery, they added.

All the participating artists have prepared a work especially for this exhibition. The new names among them – for this gallery – are Elena Stoeva (painting on wood) and Maria Ilieva. Andrian Bekyarov shows his Flemish technique in a white shell that emerges from the darkness and looks like a stone sculpture. Ivan Stratiev presents a huge still life of fruit and color. Boris Zhelev displays an old wooden window, weathered by the salty sea wind, said Nadia Pavlova, one of the founders of the gallery.