Creative biography

Prof. Dr. Valentin Dimitrov Gospodinov

sculptor

Creative Biography – Prof. Dr. Valentin Gospodinov (PDF)Download

Key Years

1961 Born on June 24 in the town of Kyustendil
1980 Graduated from the Technical School of Interior Architecture and Woodworking – Kyustendil, specialty “Interior Architecture”
1992 Graduated from the N. Pavlovich Academy of Fine Arts /National Academy of Arts/ in the class of Prof. L. Prahov
1995 Honorary lecturer at the National Academy of Arts – Sofia, Department of Sculpture
1995 Accepted as a member of the UBA
2008 Full-time lecturer in “Sculpture” and “Composition” at the National Academy of Arts – Sofia, Department of “Sculpture”
2013 Executive Director of the Vladimir Dimitrov – Master Art Gallery, Kyustendil
2015 Awarded educational and scientific degree “Doctor of 8.2. Art History and Fine Arts” at the National Academy of Arts – Sofia
2017 Habilitation Associate Professor in “Sculpture” and “Composition” at the Department of “Sculpture” at the National Academy of Arts, Sofia
2017 Honorary Badge “Golden Age” – an honorary badge of Tsar Simeon the Great for contribution to the development of Bulgarian culture
2024 Professor of Sculpture and Composition at the Department of Sculpture at the National Academy of Arts, Sofia

Solo exhibitions

2024 Exhibition for a competition for a professor, National Academy of Arts, Sofia
2017 “Academy” Gallery, Sofia
2017 Exhibition for the competition for associate professor
2009 “Seasons” Gallery, Sofia
2005 Dieleman Gallery, Château Petit – Lees, Belgium
1997 Solo presentation at the “Autumn Salon”, Plovdiv ’97
1996 “Staircase” Gallery, Sofia
1994 Gallery “Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master”, Kyustendil
1994 “Trakia” Gallery, Plovdiv – Old Town 1993 “Studio Spectrum” Gallery, Sofia
1993 “Studio Spectrum” Gallery, Sofia

Participations and implementation

2024 “Ahimsa: Nonviolence” – sixth edition. Ruse Art Gallery
2023 “The Vessel – Protected Time” National Archaeological Institute – Sofia
2023 Sculptural portrait of the writer Elin Pelin – Pliska “Court of the Cyrillic Letter”
2023 “Ahimsa: Non-violence” – Boris Georgiev City Art Gallery, Varna
2023 “Ahimsa: Nonviolence” at the UBA – “Raiko Aleksiev” Hall
2022 „The Court”– curatorial project “Raiko Alexiev” gallery
2022 Exhibition of teachers from the National Academy of Arts – Sofia at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin, Germany
2022 “Ahimsa: Nonviolence”in the Art Center Gallery – Pleven
2022 Participation in the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2022” – Kyustendil
2022 Participation in the Christmas exhibition of Kyustendil artists
2019 Participation in an exhibition dedicated to “Mahatma Gandhi – the power of truth” gallery “Oborishte 5” – Sofia
2018 Participation in the exhibition “20 Years of Ilindentsi Art Center”, Sofia Art Gallery, Sofia
2018 Participation in the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2018” – Kyustendil
2018 Participation in the “Christmas Exhibition”, “Seasons” Gallery – Sofia
2017 Participation in an exhibition of the Sculpture Department of the National Academy of Arts at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute – Bratislava, Slovakia
2017 Participation in the exhibition “120 years of the National Academy of Arts, specialty “Sculpture”. Teachers and students. City of Silistra
2017 Participation in the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2017” – Blagoevgrad
2016 Participation in the exhibition “120 years of the National Academy of Arts, specialty “Sculpture”. Teachers and students. City of Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo, Dobrich
2016 Participation in the Biennial of Contemporary Bulgarian Fine Arts “Friends of the Sea 2016” – Burgas
2016 Participation in the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2016” – Pernik
2015 Participation in the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2015” – Kyustendil
2014 Participation in the Bulgarian National Radio project “Radio and Communications in the 21st Century – Bridges to the Future”
2014 Participation in the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2014” – Blagoevgrad
2014 Participation in the exhibition “Untold Abstraction”, Shipka 6, Sofia
2013 Participation in the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2013” – Pernik
2011 Exterior memorial sign dedicated to Vasil Levski – village of Sovolyano
2011 Exterior memorial sign dedicated to Yitzhak Rabin” – Kyustendil
2011 National Exhibition “Drawing and Small Sculpture” – Sofia
2011 Exhibition of the Kyustendil branch of the Union of Bulgarian Artists – Sofia
2011 Christmas exhibition of Kyustendil artists – Kyustendil
2010 Exhibition “Alliance Bulgaria National Awards for Painting, Sculpture and Graphics” – nomination, Sofia
2010 Sculpture exhibition at the Beeldenpark Gallery – Lede, Belgium
2008 Sculpture Exhibition “SculpTour-2008”, Beukenhof – Kluisbergen, Belgium
2007 Exhibition “Friends” in the “Bulgaria” Concert Hall – Sofia
2007 Joint exhibition with Boyan Kirkov, Charleroi – Belgium
2006 Bulgarian Contemporary Art “Kunstlerhaus” – Vienna, Austria
2006 The Third “Biennial of Small Forms in Fine Arts” – Pleven, 2006
2006 “Awards for Contemporary Bulgarian Art” – Sofia, 2006
2005 National Sculpture Exhibition ‘2005 – Sofia
2004 Second “Biennale of Small Forms in Fine Arts” – Pleven, 2004
2003 “Drawing and Small Sculpture”, Sofia City Art Gallery, Sofia
2003 National Sculpture Exhibition ‘2003 – Sofia
2003 Art Expo, Lineart ‘2003, Ghent – Belgium
2002 Execution of a monumental exterior sculpture for the “Hugo Voeten” collection, Geel – Belgium
2002 Participation in the Gallery of Contemporary Art, Chicago – USA
2002 Participation in “Coastal Gallery”, Cyprus
2001 Permanent outdoor sculpture exhibition “21st Century” – Oborishte Park, Sofia
2000 Participation in an exhibition, Knokke – Belgium
2000 Participation in an exhibition, Barbizon – France
2000 National Sculpture Exhibition ‘2000, Sofia
1999 Regional Exhibition “Struma ’99”
1998 Contemporary Bulgarian Art, Tokyo – Japan
1998 Execution of sculptural sculptures for a lobby hall, Japan
1998 National Sculpture Exhibition ’98, Sofia
1997 Art Expo, Belgrade ’97
1997 Bulgarian contemporary sculpture “Dante Center”, Ravenna – Italy
1996 Fourth International Exhibition of Miniature Art in Gornji Milanovac, Yugoslavia
1996 National Sculpture Exhibition ’96, Sofia
1996 Participation in an exhibition, Strasbourg, France
1995 Implementation of architectural adaptation with relief for the College of Economics – Kyustendil
1995 He performs sculptural portraits in Switzerland.
1995 Joint exhibition with other Bulgarian authors in Switzerland
1994 “Drawing and Small Sculpture ’94”, Sofia
1993 National Sculpture Exhibition ’93, Sofia

Symposia

2012 International Summer Academy and Sculpture Symposium, Ahtopol
2009 International Sculpture Symposium “Touching Points” – Pazardzhik
2003 Tenth International Granite Sculpture Symposium, Budduso Sardinia, Italy
1999 Third International Sculpture Symposium “Consorcio Escuela del Marmol De Fines”, Almeria – Spain
1998 First International Sculpture Symposium Ilindentsi Art Center – Bulgaria
1998 Sixth Fine Arts Symposium “St. Luke” – Kyustendil

Awards

2024 The Grand Prize of the Municipality of Kyustendil for contribution to the field of culture
2018 Sculpture Award at the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2018” – Kyustendil
2016 Sculpture Award at the Biennale of Contemporary Bulgarian Fine Arts “Friends of the Sea 2016” – Burgas
2014 Sculpture Award at the Zonal Exhibition “Struma 2014” – Blagoevgrad
2010 Nomination from the “Alliance Bulgaria National Awards for Painting, Sculpture and Graphics” – Sofia
2007 The Grand Prize in the name of Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master from the Municipality of Kyustendil
2003 First Prize at the Tenth International Sculpture Symposium, Budduso – Sardinia, Italy
1994 First prize in the competition for the country’s coat of arms in a team with Georgi Chapkanov and Kiril Gogov
1991 Small Sculpture Award, Del Bello Gallery, Toronto – Canada

Works of the author are owned by:

National Gallery of Art – Sofia, galleries, organizations and private organizations in Bulgaria, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Italy, Israel, Canada, USA, “Hugo Voeten” collection, Geel – Belgium.
As a director, he participated in the publication of books – “Stoyan Venev”, “House Museum Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master”, the publication “Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master through the Eyes of the Artist”. In 2014, he initiated a student plein air “In the Spirit of the Master”. He curated a large number of exhibitions. He arranged numerous exhibitions in the spaces of the Art Gallery – Kyustendil, National Art Gallery, Union of Bulgarian Artists – Shipka 6, Bulgarian Cultural Center in Berlin, Bulgarian Cultural Center in Bratislava, the permanent exhibition at the Art Gallery – Kyustendil and the house museum “Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master” in the village of Shishkovtsi. He initiated the restoration of the “Grand Prize for Sculpture named after Acad. Ivan Lazarov”, which will be awarded from 2021 at the Art Gallery – Kyustendil.