An exhibition marking the 80th birthday of Burgas artist Stoyan Tsanev has opened at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin. Burgas council organised the show as part of the city's bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2032.

The Petko Zadgorski Art Gallery in Burgas and the institute are partners in the show, and Dr Lyudmila Kutieva is the curator. Grigor Porozhanov, Bulgaria's ambassador to Germany, and Borislav Petranov, director of the institute, attended the opening.

The show features paintings and graphic works from four decades. They include a 1974 portrait of Hristo Fotev, "Destiny", "Metamorphosis", "Man with a Cage", "The Road to the Temple", "Daybreak" and "Equinox". Burgas council says the works trace the artist's move from realism and surrealism to a freer visual language, led by colour, form and sign.

Tsanev was born in Burgas in 1946. He graduated in graphic art in 1973 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where he studied under Prof. Andrzej Rudzinski. The council says his education in Europe had a strong influence on his work and made him a recognisable name in contemporary Bulgarian art.

The council sees the show as a chance to bring the city's artistic heritage to European audiences. It says the project helps promote major artists linked to Burgas and widens international cultural exchange.

The exhibition runs until 31 October 2026.