Stoimen Stoilov

Deep imagery and wise messages bring us this artist's paintings. They resurrect pieces of beauty and remind us of the everlasting human values. His paintings are very poetic, they are about the images beyond, raised above the level of earth's ordinary life. "The painting is an open space - everyone can enter and develop it with his imagination" is the artist's message to the art lovers. It leads them on an endless journey to human civilizations, creating the exquisite ancient visions and generous nobility. With his original artistic language, this great master seems to squeeze the layers of dirt accumulated by time and presents life scenes, generously dazzled with colors and shapes. The feeling, especially from the collages and the oil frescoes, is for exaltation, an atavistic memory of celebration of the spiritual in the human lives.

Prof. Stoilov is Born in Varna in 1944 and graduated from the Fine Art High School in Sofia and from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia, in 1972. He returned to Varna after his graduation, where he and other artists founded an artistic workshop in the abandoned "Vulkan" factory, becoming one of the most emblematic places for the young avant-garde artists at the time.

Since 1991, Prof.Stoilov has been living and working in the Austrian capital Vienna, from where he founded the International Biennale of Graphics held in his home town Varna, and become his first director. In the same year, he received the prestigious "Gottfried von Herder" Award for his overall creative works.

In 2009, the Austrian State awarded him the title "Professor" for his outstanding contribution to the cultural and artistic life in Austria. The artist has been lecturing at the Summer Art Academy in Zakynthos, Greece for some time and participated with his artworks at the Danube International Arts Festival. His works and artistic life are presented in the 13-volume encyclopedia Benezit Dictionnaly of Artists, which is published in France and presents the best artists in today's art world.

Prof. Stoilov is winner of the "Grand Biennale of the International Biennial" in Brno, Slovakia and other very high and prestigious awards from exhibitions and biennales in USA, France, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and others. He is a Honorary Citizen of Varna and winner of a first degree "Stara Planina" medal for merits in the Bulgarian culture and art.

His most famous monumental works are exposed in the Museum of the writer Yordan Yovkov in Dobrich - ceramic panel "The world of Yordan Yovkov" / 800х1000 см /. Other works are held in the headquarters of the Australian company Spirak, Australia, in the United Nations building and in the lobby of the International Atomic Agency in Vienna where prof. Stoilov exhibits the painting "The Tree of Life". His works are also property of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and at the headquarters of the company "Henkel" in Vienna. The painting "Vienna and its People" where prof. Stoilov painted over 200 emblematic for this city figures is held at the headquarters of the company "Metropolitan" in Vienna. The paintings of prof. Stoilov are depicting scenes and images from the Hofburg dynasty, through Mozart and Strauss to today's political leaders. Prof Stoilof is represented by a huge wall (200 sq. M.), devoted to the human suffering from the Inquisition to the present day. The artist also represented Bulgaria in the OSCE in Vienna with two paintings from his "Human Rights" cycle.

His paintings are owned by: The National Library of France, Paris; The Contemporary Art Fund, Paris; The Art Dialogue Foundation, Paris; The National Museum of Art, Bogota, Colombia; The Museum of Art, Motie, Switzerland; The Albertina Museum of Art, Vienna; The National Library of Tunisia; The City Library in New York; The University of Princeton, USA; The University of Yale, USA; The Stressier Library, Florida; The Congress Library, Washington, USA; The Pushkin Museum, Moscow, The Russia; The City Museum, Vedlinge, Germany; The Museum of Graphic Art, Streener Foundation, Badschaben, Germany; The Collection of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vienna.

Prof. Stoimen Stoilov has a very wide creative perimeter: drawing, watercolor, pastel, collage, graphics, painting, ceramics and mixed media, depicting ancient stories as well as Renaissance scenes of grotesques from "Commedia Dell' Arte".