An exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the artist and illustrator Alexander Denkov (1925–1972) opened at the “Atelier” gallery of the branch of the National Academy of Arts in Burgas.

The occasion for the exhibition, which will be in Burgas until January 31, is a donation to the National Academy of Arts (NAA), made by Iliana and Adrian Arnaudov, who attended the opening in the seaside city. It includes 436 illustrations, drawings, projects, photographs, and archival materials related to Denkov's life and work. Some of the works have been shown in previous retrospective exhibitions in Sofia and other cities in the country.

“The exhibition is part of a large collection of illustrations, photos and other materials related to the life of Alexander Denkov and his 100th anniversary. This collection was recently provided to the oldest art museum in Bulgaria - that of the NAA". This was clarified to BTA by Emil Markov, a lecturer in book design, illustration and print graphics at the NAA branch in Burgas. He added: “Denkov is a polyvalent creative personality who has worked in many areas of art. Unfortunately, he died very young, before he turned 50, and did not manage to fully unleash the potential he carried, but he ranks among the very great Bulgarian illustrators of world level”.

Nearly 40 works are included in the exhibition in the seaside city. Among them is a portrait of the donors' close friend, arch. Dimitar Novachkov, who also kept a large part of Denkov's works. The work is by arch. Georgi Fingov. Also presented are illustrations to books such as “Iliad” by Homer, “White Fang” by Jack London and “Bulgarian Folk Tales” by Angel Karaliichev.

Alexander Denkov is the author of the first Bulgarian animated film “The Little Thief” (1945) and worked actively in the field of book illustration, scenography and monumental art. He is the artist of a number of productions and films, including “The Iron Lantern” and “The Law of the Sea”.