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PROF. VLADIMIR IVANOV HAS PASSED AWAY
15 December 2025
IN MEMORIAMProf. Vladimir Ivanov
(1946 - 2025)
Vladimir Ivanov has left us - a recognised authority in Bulgarian contemporary art, an exceptional erudite, a significant figure in the intellectual elite of Varna, a long-time lecturer at the Department of Arts at Varna Free University.
An admirer of French culture, who has passed through the Vulcan artistic colony and the Dutch creative scene, one of the creators of the Varna club Var(t)na, he had an impactful presence, marked by the aura of a true mentor to young artists.
A high-class connoisseur, Vlado Ivanov was dedicated to the mission of educating followers in the knowledge of contemporary visual art, searching for the intersections between the cultures of the East and the West, and challenging them to discover aesthetic challenges.
Vladimir Ivanov was born in 1946 in Varna. He finished the French Language School in the city. He graduated in Graphics from the National Academy of Arts in 1975. He worked as an art editor at the Georgi Bakalov Publishing House in Varna. From 1990 to 1994 he lived and worked in the Netherlands. In 1995 he started work at Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" as a lecturer. In 1998 he became an associate professor, and in 2004 a professor of fine arts and art history. He has lectured at Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski", New Bulgarian University, the Academy of Fine Arts in Breda, the Netherlands, and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
He has had over 30 solo exhibitions and numerous participations in group exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad.
His works are owned by prestigious collections, including: the City Art Gallery - Varna, the Sofia City Art Gallery, the National Gallery, the Dresden Graphic Cabinet, the Meiji Collection in Tokyo, the Library of Congress in Washington and others.
A tribute to the memory of the artist and the bright mind - Prof. Vladimir Ivanov!
The team of Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" expresses its deep condolences to the artist's relatives.