A rich collection of colorful Bulgarian circus posters showing the 125-year-long history of the Bulgarian circus art can be seen in the "Rayko Alexiev" gallery in Sofia. The reason for the exhibition is an anniversary of the first performance of the Bulgarian professional circus troupe "Balgarsko zname," led by Peter Panayotov. It took place on Easter, April 24, 1897, as part of the traditional fair in Sofia.

The significant anniversary for Bulgarian circus art this year is marked by an exhibition organized by private collector Dragomir Draganov and his "Virtual Museum of Bulgarian Circus Art" together with the Union of Bulgarian Artists. The exhibition of 125 Bulgarian circus posters can be seen until May 8.

The posters cover the period from the 1930s to the present day. Among their authors are some of the brightest Bulgarian artists such as Encho Pironkov, Dimitar Tasev, Bozhidar Ikonomov, Asen Stareishinski, Lyudmil Chekhlarov, Atanas Mihalchev, Yani Yanev and many others. Chronologically arranged, the posters tell the story of both circus art and printing in Bulgaria. This is the first poster exhibition in Bulgaria dedicated entirely to circus art.

Author: Gergana Mancheva

English: Alexander Markov

Photos: Union of Bulgarian Artists