Artist Ivan Kanev Celebrates 90th Birthday

Vanya Suharova, Kaloyan Kirilov

Artist Ivan Kanev, Home for Veterans of Culture and the Arts, Sofia, April 3, 2025 (BTA Photo/Nikola Uzunov)

Sofia,

03.04.2025 20:39

(BTA)

On his 90th birthday, artist Ivan Kanev wished himself good health. He celebrated the occasion on Thursday with an exhibition at a residence facility for culture and art veterans in Sofia.

"I painted all these here. I haven't counted them," said the artist. He has been living here for three years now.

Ivan Kanev was born on March 29, 1935, in the southern town of Nova Zagora. In 1963, he graduated from the National Academy of Art in Sofia with a degree in Applied Graphic Art. From 1963 to 1968, he served as curator and head of the Art Gallery in Sliven. Between 1973 and 1985, he worked at the Museums Directorate of the Committee for Culture as a specialist in art galleries, and from 1985 to 1993, he was the director of the Sofia City Art Gallery.

Kanev primarily paints landscapes, still life, and portraits. Sofia is a main theme in his work, featuring streets, old houses on the city’s outskirts, and small alleys that reflect its distinctive atmosphere. Another favourite subject is the streets and houses of seaside towns such as Sozopol, Kavarna, Balchik, and Primorsko. He has also painted landscapes inspired by Sliven, Koprivshtitsa, Smolyan, Damascus, and Crimea.

BTA surprised Kanev with a birthday cake. BTA Director General Kiril Valchev also brought additional gifts: a canvas, brushes, and paintings, as well as two issues of BTA’s LIK magazine for art and culture, dedicated to the anniversaries of artists Vladimir Dimitrov and Dechko Uzunov. “The Sofia City Art Gallery flourished in the 1980s and early 1990s under his leadership,” Valchev said. “Many of the landscapes he paints are from Sofia. They are not the city’s grand landmarks but hidden little streets that capture its beautiful atmosphere. I have also seen his works in Bosilegrad, where he has donated art to the Bulgarian communities there.”

“Your work has left an indelible mark on Bulgarian painting and graphic art, and your role as curator and director of some of the most significant art institutions has greatly contributed to the development of culture in this country,” Culture Minister Marian Bachev said in a congratulatory address.

/RY/