Ivan Minekov

Born on January 28, 1947 in the small town of Pazardjik, Bulgaria, Ivan Minekov is one of the most appreciated contemporary artists.

A graduate of the Academy for Fine Arts "Nikolae Grigurescu" in Bucharest, Romania (1970-1975), under Professor Paul Vasilesku's beneficial guidance, Ivan Minekov's striking talent quickly attracted the attention of the Bulgarian artistic society. 'With an inclination towards materials such as bronze and wood, Ivan Minekov searches for the specific form to solve his artistic endeavours. He achieves his aim to set in motion the natural monumentality of sculptural works by adding dramatization and lengthening of the proportions in his dynamic bronze plastics. When working with wood, he finds the impression of rituality, with generalized shapes, human and architectural elements.' *

In the early years of his career, Ivan Minekov participated in all common exhibitions in Bulgaria, as well as in representative exhibitions in Europe. In the period between 1975 and 1990 he completed a number of large monumental works in many Bulgarian cities, among which his native Pazardjik, Burgas (1978), Rousse, Lovech, Dorkovo and other. In the same period he was included in the Encyclopedia of Bulgarian Fine Arts and the Bulgarian Nation Television produced a short film about his monumental work Levski (1987) and a documentary about the artist (1988), which is now included in BNT's golden fund. Also in 1988, Minekov's work was chosen as a symbol of the second allied space journey of Bulgaria and Russia. The portrait of Professor Denton Cooley (1990), founder of the Texas Heart Institute, owned and deeply appreciated by Mr. Cooley, as well as Georges Ecly's interest towards Minekov's art, opened the doors to a rewarding international artistic career. In 1993-94 the Harada collection in Tokyo commissioned Ivan Minekov to create the portrait of Peter Machailov and in the year of 2000, Minekov's inclination towards mythology and history brought to life Dimitar Peshev's portrait, honouring the great politician for saving the Bulgarian Jews in the Second World War. The bust has proudly found its place in the Palace of Europe in Strasburg. Today Minekov's works are owned by private collectors throughout Europe, USA, Israel and Japan.

In the last few years the artist has participated in two exhibitions in the Netherlands (2005, 2007) and in a joint exhibition with painter Branimir Tzakov in the Seasons Gallery in Sofia (2006). He has also completed two portraits commissioned by private collectors from New York, USA. In 2007 Ivan Minekov was chosen as one of Bulgaria's leading artists to be represented on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official website. In 2008 Ivan Minekov's statuette 'Ballerina' was awarded at the 23rd Internationa Ballet Competiotion - Varna.

In 2011 Minekov was invited to exhibit his work in the European Parliament. The Legends from Bulgaria exhibition took place in April 2012 in the ASP Building of the Parliament in Brussels. * paragraph derived from a review by Bulgarian art critic D. Grozdanov