The first digital almanac of Bulgarian illustrations brings together 100 authors

The first digital almanac, bringing together the history of generations of Bulgarian artists, was officially presented during the Frankfurt Book Fair and is now available for free download.

In 1,000 pages, through the art of 100 artists the almanac makes a comprehensive retrospection of Bulgarian illustrations in PDF format. The almanac features critical essays, interviews and analyses with a focus on the now revived National Biennial of Illustration, interrupted in 1992

The almanac fills a void in global art history where the history of illustrations from Western Europe, North America and parts of Asia is well documented whereas the visual traditions of Eastern Europe remained in obscurity for a long time, the people who created the digital almanac say. The artists presented include Iassen Ghiuselev, Lyuben Zidarov, Stefan Markov, Vadim Lazarkevich, Ilia Beshkov, Boris Stoilov, Vanya Nastanlieva, Nedko Solakov, Damyan Damyanov, Elena Jablyanova, Iva Sasheva, Ina Hristova and many others, including representatives of the young generation.

Work on the almanac is financed under the programme NextGenerationEU and the recovery and resilience plan, and the idea is to update its contents on an annual basis. The next National Biennial of Illustration will open on 1 December, 2026 at the Regional Museum of History in Sofia.

Compiled by Gergana Mancheva
Translated by Milena Daynova
Photos: BTA, bulgarian-illustration.com