The Sofia City Art Gallery marks the 120th anniversary of Veselin Staykov’s birth with a large-scale retrospective featuring more than 150 of his works. The exhibition opens on 3 June and will remain on view until 19 July.

The selected works – paintings, prints, and drawings – trace the development of one of the most distinguished Bulgarian masters of graphic art. Curators Dr. Stanislava Nikolova and Ana Topalova, together with designer Nadezhda Oleg Lyakhova, have shaped the exhibition as a visual journey through Staykov’s artistic explorations.

Although he graduated in painting under Prof. Tseno Todorov, the decisive influence on his creative direction came from Prof. Vasil Zahariev, who guided him toward printmaking – the field in which Staykov left his most enduring mark. The halls of the Sofia City Art Gallery display drawings, wood engravings, lithographs, etchings, and oil paintings, including the emblematic cycles Melnik, Sozopol, Karlovo, and Sofia. Works inspired by his travels to Prague, Paris, Italy, and China are also featured.

Special attention is given to the themes of nature and labor – motifs that Staykov transforms into poetic images of everyday life. Stonecutters, Boat Repair, Harvesters, and Tobacco Workers reveal the strength of his plastic language and his ability to extract drama from the ordinary.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the opportunity to follow a single motif through different techniques – from the initial sketch to the oil painting and the graphic sheet. The curators emphasize that this repetition is not mechanical reproduction but an exploration of the expressive possibilities of each medium.

For the first time, the artist’s applied work is also presented – designs for postage stamps and their graphic variants, revealing yet another facet of his professional range.

The project is realized in partnership with the State Archives Agency, and the exhibition includes works and archival materials from the National Gallery, the Union of Bulgarian Artists, the National Academy of Arts, the Staykov family archive, as well as institutions in Italy and Germany.

Veselin Staykov (1906–1970) is remembered as one of the most significant Bulgarian printmakers of the 20th century. Born in Peshtera, he quickly gained international recognition, receiving a gold medal in Warsaw (1936) and the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition (1937). His solo exhibitions have been shown in Munich, Prague, Berlin, and Sofia. As a professor at the National Academy of Arts, he trained generations of Bulgarian printmakers and was among the first in the country to develop techniques such as lithography, metal engraving, and linocut.