The Pleven Art Gallery houses the richest collection of works by the famous artist Iliya Beshkov – about 1300 drawings, cartoons, illustrations. Some of them are included in the permanent exhibition of the gallery, but the majority are kept in the fund. In the current exhibition, more than 270 works from the fund can be seen, most of which have not been shown to the public. Thanks to the cooperation of the Regional Library “Hristo Smirnenski” in the city of Pleven, we will also present printed books with illustrations by the artist.
Iliya Beshkov is not only among the most famous Bulgarian artists, but his work has also been noticed in other countries. Through his activity in print media, his drawings are widely distributed. His work is comprehensive and aimed at all ages. For the little ones, Iliya Beshkov illustrated and created the graphic design of favorite Bulgarian editions of children's books such as "Anne and Toshko African" by Angel Karaliychev, "Kings Marko", "Cunning Peter", the poetry collections for children by Dora Gabe "From Elephant to Ant" and "Our Heart", the poetry collection "Listilo Klonche" by Yordan Stubel, etc. For the grown-ups, Iliya Beshkov published numerous cartoons and illustrations in periodicals: "Wild Grandfather", "Bulgarian", "Masquerade", "Zvanar", "Vik", "Starshel" and others. He is a member of the "Native Art" society. In the 1930s, he participated in exhibitions of Bulgarian cartoonists. In 1938, he organized his first and only solo exhibition in Sofia.
Throughout his life, Iliya Beshkov has witnessed wars, political upheavals, joys and losses, and thanks to art, he has preserved his free-thinking spirit, his love for the world and people, his sense of humor and irony. In addition to being an artist, Iliya Beshkov is also the author of valuable texts aimed at his contemporaries and topics that interested him, but also interest modern society – topics related more generally to human existence, to religious self-awareness, to freedom, and more specifically to all sorts of issues affecting art – paintings, illustrations, drawings, caricatures, perspective, the essence of art and more, and more…
Opening: December 10, 2021, 5:00 p.m.
Location: Gallery of the Union of Bulgarian Artists, 6 Shipka Street – 1st floor
Closing: January 21, 2022
Source: Union of Bulgarian Artists
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