The art of sculpture that we often associate with Antiquity and the Renaissance is not the most popular art these days. The names of contemporary artists in this genre are not very popular too. However, this does not apply to Georgi Chapkanov-Chapa, whose works are highly recognizable. Among them are statue of Sofia - a symbol of the city, the monument of the Slaveikovs, seated on a bench in the iconic "Slaveykov" square. And more: the monument of writers Radoi Ralin and Radichkov, statues of folktale character Hitar Petar, of Charlie Chaplin, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Gabrovo, Orpheus and Eurydice in Smolyan, etc.

His large sculptures are not only seen in Bulgaria but also in public places, such as in museums in Europe and Japan. His smaller sculptures are part of numerous private and public collections around the globe - the National Art Gallery in Sofia, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Puskin Museum in Moscow, the Utsukushi-ga-Hara Open-Air Museum in Japan; the "Lalit Kala" Academy in New Delhi, the Moran open-air museum in South Korea, La Balade de Séprais in Switzerland, the Peter Ludwig collection in Germany and the Moutier Museum in Switzerland.

It seems strange that until recently there had been no book to collect photos of at least some of Chapkanov’s works. Thanks to the initiative of the Plovdiv Gallery "Revival," however, a bilingual album in large format is dedicated to his creativity. The book has 150 pages including 239 illustrations and 96 photographs. The presentation of the book took part during an exhibition of works by the renowned artist, which marked the 21st anniversary of the gallery. Krasimira Aleksieva told us more about the initiative, which was her idea:

“In fact, the reason for this exhibition is that there hadn’t been a single album or a book about the work of Georgi Chapkanov, who is 73 years old now. That is why I decided to create this album. And once it happened, it was imperative to organise an exhibition to present it. He was not so eager to do it but it turned out to be a true celebration. Moreover, he showed works from his personal collection - paintings, lithography, and sculpture. It is a magnificent exhibition of works, some of which have not been shown for 30-40 years.”

The book starts with a note: "This album is eclectic. Life is eclectic." The album collects paintings of mythological and biblical themes, watercolours, oil paintings and more. “Whatever he has created becomes instant classic and with time passing it seems that his spiritual generosity towards the viewers grows. Chapa has shown attitude towards human qualities and flaws and he remains an unmatched humanist in our contemporary art," Krasimira Aleksieva adds. The exhibition can be seen in Plovdiv until October 10. Thanks to the album, art lovers would be able to bring home a piece of the creative and restless spirit of the artist.

English: Alexander Markov