The exhibition "Diplomacy and Art 2" was opened in Burgas
On June 5, 2025, the representative exhibition "Diplomacy and Art 2" was opened in the "Atelier" gallery of the National Academy of Arts - Burgas Branch. The exhibition includes works of art from the rich collection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is a kind of continuation of the exhibition of the same name from 2019, dedicated to 140 years since the establishment of the Bulgarian diplomatic service.
The exhibition was opened by the rector of the National Academy of Arts, Prof. Georgi Yankov, in the presence of Ms. Snezhana Yoveva - director of the State Institute for Culture and Prof. Svetozar Benchev - director of the Burgas Branch. Among the official guests of the event were rectors of higher education institutions, representatives of the regional and municipal administration, cultural figures and journalists. On behalf of the mayor of Burgas, Mr. Dimitar Nikolov, a basket of flowers was presented.
In a congratulatory address to Ms. Yoveva, Prof. Yankov expressed the joy of the academic community at the fact that the second part of the exhibition "Diplomacy and Art" was opened in Burgas. He emphasized the importance of the cooperation between the Academy and the Institute, united by the mission to present the achievements of Bulgarian art abroad with dignity and to develop young authors through educational and cultural initiatives.
Snezhana Yoveva presented the concept of the exhibition, noting that the art fund of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been created over decades and includes over 400 works in the ministry building in Sofia and nearly 2,000 located in diplomatic missions around the world. She noted that “today, six years later, the Institute’s collection is even richer, with the latest acquisition among us – the landscape “Wind” by the artist Alzek Misheff, recently donated to Acqui Terme, Italy, where the artist is currently residing.”
The current exhibition includes 23 paintings by established Bulgarian artists from the post-war period to the 1980s, including Konstantin Shtarkelov, Vasil Stoilov, Zdravko Aleksandrov, Svetlin Rusev, Georgi Baev, Svilen Blazhev and Stoyan Tsanev. The main focus of the exhibition are two works by the world-famous artist Alzek Misheff – “Swimming Across the Atlantic” (1979–1982) and “Wind”. The selection reflects the mission of the collection – to present Bulgarian art around the world and to enrich the aesthetic environment in diplomatic missions.
Within the framework of the event, Ms. Yoveva made a valuable donation to the library of the National Academy of Arts – Burgas Branch – a bilingual catalog “Diplomacy and Art”, part 1.
The exhibition was realized as part of the initiatives on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs and coincided with the meeting of the Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in Bulgaria, which also took place in Burgas. On the same day, the beginning of the Festival of the Advertising Industry FARA 2025, organized by the Bulgarian Association of Communication Agencies, was also launched – another testimony to the role of Burgas as an important cultural, educational and communication center.
The event is realized within the framework of a strategic partnership between the National Academy of Arts and the Institute with the media support of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA).
The exhibition “Diplomacy and Art 2” can be viewed until the end of June 2025 in the Atelier Gallery of the National Academy of Arts – Burgas Branch.