site.btaWorks by Legendary Illustrator Lyuben Zidarov Go on Display at Kvadrat 500

A collection of ten illustrations by renowned Bulgarian artist Lyuben Zidarov (1923–2023) will be on display at the Kvadrat 500 National Gallery from Tuesday. The exhibition is titled The Fairy-Tale World of Lyuben Zidarov.

When they leave the pages of the book, Zidarov's illustrations acquire a life as stand-alone works of art with their bright and primal colourfulness, curator Tanya Staneva of the National Art Gallery said of the exhibition. Zidarov's curiosity to what surrounded him, his tireless desire to work and rich imagination speak in his illustrations, she added.

The ten selected images based on famous works for children and adults reveal to the viewer only a small part of the oeuvre of Lyuben Zidarov, a man extremely dedicated to his work, with an in-depth attitude and love for what he had dedicated himself to. For almost every reprint of a given book, he refined and further developed his drawings, making them a little different and more alive. Over the course of seven decades, the artist’s creative flair matured to achieve a unique and recognisable style, said Staneva.

The legendary Bulgarian illustrator and artist passed away on January 3, 2023, aged 99.