Presentation of a jubilee printed collection of the Department of Book, Illustration, Printed Graphics at Academia Gallery

 

Book, Illustration, Printed Graphics is one of the oldest academic units at the National Academy of Art (2022 marked 100 years since the first steps were taken towards its establishment). It is a combination of long-standing traditions of training in creative professionalism in the fields of book design, illustration and graphic design that is relevant to the modernity and innovation that are inherent in experimentation.

 

In 2021, in order to mark its centenary within the structure of the National Academy of Art the Department initiated the implementation of a two-year project by organising a representative exhibition related to the 10th anniversary of the introduction of its new programmes within the Master's degree course of study. The project continued into 2022–2023 with the publishing of an anniversary printed collection, which represents the rich panorama of the historical development, current activities, founders, current teachers, and prominent alumni and students. The publication aims to familiarise the art guild and the interested general public with the representatives who play significant role in Bulgarian visual arts and are vitally important for the functioning of the academic programmes. An essential task of the collection is to build and promote a sustainable and long-lasting archive of the achievements and successes of Book, Illustration, Printed Graphics in the context of the National Academy of Art's being an educational and cultural institution, and to strengthen the Academy's leading position and ranking nationally and internationally.

 

The representative jubilee publication titled Book, Illustration, Printed Graphics 100 Years at the National Academy of Art is indicative of the artistic practices taught in the Department; it is elegantly designed, abundant of pictorial material and highly information-saturated – a true example of the art of book.