International Conference "The Academic Tradition of Today. The Role of Boris Schatz in the Creation and Development of the Academic Model at the National Academy of Art and Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem"
2023.10.08
THE CONFERENCE IS CANCELLED AS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE LECTURERS FROM JERUSALEM TO ARRIVE IN BULGARIA DUE TO THE MILITARY ACTIONS IN ISRAEL.
10 October 2023, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Academia Gallery, National Academy of Art, 1 Shipka St., Sofia
Conference organisers
National Academy of Art in Sofia
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem
Association for Friendship and Cooperation Between Israel and Bulgaria
THE CONFERENCE IS HELD WITH THE SUPPORT OF SOFIA CITY MUNICIPALITY.
The conference outlines the study of the academic tradition today in light of innovations in art education. Professional training in the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century will be traced in the reconciliation of classical academic methods and their constant enrichment and upgrading with modern trends in fine art. The forum will present topics related to the life and work of Boris Schatz, his teaching activities and the development of the art education systems in Sofia and Jerusalem, his role and contribution to the founding of the art schools in both cities.
Boris Schatz has played an extremely important role in building the institutions and the artistic life in Bulgaria and Israel. In 1895, he arrived in Bulgaria at the invitation of Prince Ferdinand and immediately joined the society of the famous artists and cultural figures Ivan Mrkvička, Anton Mitov, Konstantin Velichkov and Dr. Ivan Shishmanov, who initiated the idea of creating a higher education institution in arts in Bulgaria. When the State Painting School opened its doors in 1896, Shatz joined the first teaching council together with Ivan Mrkvička – director and Painting teacher, and Anton Mitov – Art History teacher. It was Schatz who created the first modeling programmes and organised the schools of sculpture, woodcarving, metal and ceramics. In 1905, Boris Schatz finally parted ways with Bulgaria and devoted his efforts to the next major mission – the opening of the Bezalel Art School in Jerusalem. The revival of Israel and of Jewish culture and art was his constant cause in the following decades. In order to appreciate his real contribution, we should note that until that moment, the easel sculpture had no traditions in Bulgarian art before the Liberation and was little popular in Israel. Therefore, it will hardly be an exaggeration to say that it was Schatz who created one of the first cavalcade sculptures in the New Bulgarian and Jewish art and introduced a whole generation of talented artists to sculpture. Unfortunately, the scale of the remarkable personality of Boris Schatz as an artist, organiser, pedagogue and reformer in the field of sculpture has not been sufficiently explored and promoted in Bulgaria.
The main conference goal is to deepen and expand the research on the activity of Boris Schatz, and to promote little known facts in his personal and creative biography during the different periods. Teachers and doctoral students from the Department of History of Art and the Department of Sculpture at the National Academy of Art, as well as representatives of Bezalel Academy will participate in the conference with reports and scientific announcements. Some less known works by Schatz will be presented, as well as archival documents related to his biography and artistic views. A presentation of the two academies and a comparison of their educational policies and strategies in the global space of the contemporary art world is planned. At the end of the conference, the documentary Angelíca. The secret daughter of Boris Schatz (director, script, research: Dan Peer) will be screened.
All conference papers will be published in a special issue of the academic journal "Art & Critique" of the National Academy of Art.
Conference participants
Nadav Sheratzky, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
Jimmy Levensohn, Schatz House, Jerusalem
Dan Peer, film director, Angelíca. The secret daughter of Boris Schatz (director, script, research)
Yakir Segev, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
Igor Aronov, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
Assoc. Prof. Boyka Donevska PhD, National Academy of Art
Assoc. Prof. Maria Andirkova PhD, National Academy of Art
Prof. Valentin Gospodinov PhD, National Academy of Art
Assoc. Prof. Tsvetoslav Hristov, National Academy of Art
Ch. Asst. Prof. Suzana Nikolova PhD, National Academy of Art
Asst. Prof. Stefan Ivanov, National Academy of Art
PhD student Ivo Raykov, National Academy of Art
Ivanka Gezenko, Archives State Agency