site.btaNational Gallery to Present Donation Exhibition from Gaudenz B. Ruf

The Palace, the National Art Gallery venue in Sofia, will unveil The Art of Collecting Time, an exhibition built around a donation by Gaudenz B. Ruf, on July 24, organizers said here Friday.

The collection includes paintings, photographs, objects, and video art created by Bulgarian, Serbian, Montenegrin, and Croatian artists between 1987 and 2019.

The donor has a longstanding connection with the Bulgarian art scene as Switzerland's former ambassador to Bulgaria and founder of the Gaudenz B. Ruf Award for New Bulgarian Art (2007-2011), organizers noted.

They added that the collection demonstrates Ruf’s commitment to artists from various generations, chosen with careful consideration of the social and political contexts shaping their work.

The exhibition showcases not only the collector's taste but also his long-term commitment to the cultural scene of the Balkans. The donation to the National Gallery is an important gesture towards Bulgaria, turning a personal relationship with contemporary art into part of the country's cultural memory, the organizers said.