He was born in Sofia, but travelled across the world and lived for quite some time outside Bulgaria. He found his calling when he was a child and has been following his dreams all his life. Today, his works can be seen in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, in the permanent collection of the New York Public Library, and among the possessions of the Rothschild Bank in Zurich.

“This energy has been part of me since the time of my childhood,” he says. “My primary school teacher saw my talent and told me that I was born to be an artist. I continued to study and in the Palace of Pioneers (now - Palace of Children) I had a very good teacher who skilfully provoked our children's imagination. Five unique years in Ilia Petrov Art School followed. This was the time that shaped me as a person and an artist. We were not just students but fanatic workaholics with huge dreams. It was a wonderful time. We felt free despite we spoke quietly against the government. There were many restrictions – one could not travel freely and so on. But luckily I grew up in a wonderful atmosphere in which no prohibitions existed. I graduated from the National Academy of Art and participated in many exhibitions. Somewhere in the mid 80s I started exhibiting works abroad. My youth passed in painting ... It was mostly hard work and playing guitar in various youth bands. We were playing songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and then Deep Purple, Chicago ... Music has always been part of my life,” the artist says.

The works of Rumen Rachev in that period were exhibited in a number of countries including the U.S., Switzerland, the Scandinavian countries, and others. During the year of big political changes in Bulgaria and in all countries of the so-called Soviet bloc, the artist decided to leave his homeland.

“In 1989 I moved to Germany, where I lived for about 18 years. I can say that part of me is still there. I went to Germany with the idea to settle there. I immediately created contacts with various galleries and exhibitions started. Spending so much time in a foreign country influences the views of a person - one really starts to think in a cosmopolitan manner. Now I often travel to Germany and other countries. I came back here because I am convinced that the geographical location is not decisive for the problems people have in the world. There are difficulties everywhere. On May 9 I will open a new exhibition. This is my first independent exhibition in the new Nuance Gallery. The team of the gallery is active and creative and the place offers great opportunities for presenting the works. I am excited every time before meeting with art connoisseurs. There are always many tasks that need to be finished in the very last moment. I think it will be a very interesting event, largely because of my special guest - famous violinist Nigel Kennedy.”

The eccentric musician will play for his long-time friend during the opening of the exhibition. A day after that he would have a concert in the National Palace of Culture, where he is to present interpretations on the music of Jimi Hendrix.

More from Rumen Rachev:

“He is an interesting and unusual person, but people say I am the same. Maybe that's why we are close. A mutual Bulgarian friend, who was studying at Guildhall School in London, introduced me to him some 15-16 years ago. He had given a catalogue of my paintings to Nigel and he had liked them. We talked on the phone first, and during one of his concert in Germany we met in the backstage. Since then we have been in constant contact. He wanted me to work on the design of his album "Kennedy plays Bach," recorded jointly with the Berlin Philharmonic. The CD grabbed the Brit Award and I felt as pat of the success. We are like astral twins and it is always very nice when we meet.”

English: Alexander Markov