Exhibition The Poster by artist Lyudmil Chehlarov in Burgas
2023.03.27
The Poster exhibition by Lyudmil Chehlarov will be opened on 30 March 2023 (Thurs) at 6:00 pm, at Atelier Gallery, Burgas Branch of the National Academy of Art.
At the end of 2021, Prof. Lyudmil Chehlarov donated to Dobrich Art Gallery over 150 authorship poster projects and 233 posters in circulation, projects for postage stamps and trademarks – his own private archive. The donation documents chronologically the creative path of Lyudmil Chehlarov, the formation of his visual style and the artist's influence on the development of modern poster in Bulgaria.
The exhibition traces the development of poster art and theatre poster from the 1960s to the present day.
Lyudmil Chehlarov (born in Dobrich, Bulgaria) graduated from the National Academy of Art with a degree in Poster, under Prof. Alexander Poplilov. He started working as a poster artist in the State Satirical Theatre. Lyudmil Chehlarov's posters are provocative, funny or serious, inviting the viewer to enter the theatre hall. He is among the distinguished teachers who have defined for decades the directions in the development of applied graphics. Along with fellow artists, he is the Stage Poster Triennial's initiator.
In 2022, Dobrich Art Gallery implemented the project "The Posters Are Telling" financed by the National Culture Fund for a catalogue print edition to present the donation. The 180 colour pages are precisely arranged, theatre and event posters showcasing the artist's work from the 1960s to the present day. The body of the book also includes the specialised texts by Assoc. Prof. Nenko Atanasov, PhD – student of Prof. Lyudmil Chehlarov and profound researcher of Chehlarov's artistic work, Dr. Rumena Kalcheva – art critic studying contemporary Bulgarian art and exhibiting of art in alternative environments, and Prof. D.Sc. Kamelia Nikolova – specialist in the fields of European and Bulgarian theatre history, stage performance theory, theatre directing, theatrical avant-garde and contemporary theatrical practices. At the invitation of the gallery team, the three authors examine the artist's work from various cultural perspectives and its influence on the development of applied graphics, stage posters and theatrical art in Bulgaria.
The exhibition is part of a project implemented by Dobrich Art Gallery, financed by the Ministry of Culture under the programme "Activities for the Presentation of Movable Cultural Heritage in Museums and Art Galleries". It includes travelling exhibitions of posters from the donation, accompanying events and presentations of the catalogue in several art galleries around Bulgaria – in Shumen, Varna, Silistra, Burgas, and partnering organisations of Dobrich Art Gallery.
The Poster & Visual Communication students at the Burgas Branch of the National Academy of Art will participate in the presentation of Lyudmil Chehlarov's catalogue and a discussion on the art of stage poster from the pre-digital era. In direct contact with Chehlarov's works, the future artists will get acquainted with the techniques of "analogue" poster art and the work of the prominent Bulgarian poster artist.