site.bta68th Death Anniversary of Iliya Beshkov, Artist, Cartoonist and Illustrator

January 23, 2026 marks 68 years since the death of artist, cartoonist, and illustrator Iliya Beshkov.

Beshkov was born on July 24, 1901 in the village of Dolni Dabnik in Pleven Province.

He worked as an artist for the newspaper Pladne (1928-1934) and contributed to the newspapers Zemedelsko Zname (1902-1934), Bulgaran (1916-1924), Literaturen Glas (1928-1944), and the magazines Lik (1934-1936) and Sovremennik (1935-1936), Sturshel (1940-1941) among others. Beshkov was a lecturer at the Academy of Arts in Sofia (now the National Academy of Arts) from 1945 to 1958. He illustrated over 45 books for children and young adults, as well as children's magazines and newspapers. In 1971, the Union of Bulgarian Artists established a drawing and caricature award in his name.

Beshkov passed away on January 23, 1958. His funeral was held at the National Academy of Arts (then the Nikolai Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Arts), where he had been a professor and head of the Graphic Arts Department until his death. The final tribute to the great Bulgarian artist turned into a mass event. Thousands of people gathered to pay their respects. Among them were his fellow artists, students, intellectuals and ordinary citizens.

Despite his brother Ivan Beshkov having been executed by the People's Court in 1945, the funeral was held with official honours in the presence of representatives of the country's top leadership. In 1955, Iliya Beshkov was posthumously awarded the title of "People's Artist", which required official protocol at his funeral.

Following his death, the Art Gallery in Pleven was renamed the Iliya Beshkov Gallery in his honour, and it now houses the largest collection of his works. 

The BTA's Home News bulletin contains articles about Iliya Beshkov's funeral.

Ministry of Education and Culture Announces the Death of Prof. Iliya Beshkov

Sofia, January 24, 1958 (BTA) - For more than three decades, the distinguished master of caricature educated and inspired our society with his unique works. Throughout his career as an artist and citizen, he embodied the inexhaustible talents and potential of our hard-working people.

With his passing, our visual arts have lost an inspired artist who exposed and denounced the shortcomings of bourgeois society with a keen eye and alert social consciousness.

Deeply connected to the people in his work, he continued to contribute to building a new life and to the cause of peace.

His life is an inspiring example for our artists, the younger generation and all those involved in Bulgarian culture.

We bow our heads in respect to the unforgettable Iliya Beshkov!

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Paying respects to the coffin of national artist Iliya Beshkov 

Sofia, January 24, 1958 (BTA) - This afternoon, the ceremony of worship at the coffin of the great folk artist Iliya Beshkov began in the foyer of the National Art Gallery. He was one of the most prominent figures in our visual arts and a staunch advocate of realistic traditions in art education and upbringing. His art and his memory brought hundreds of admirers together at his deathbed today, including people from the arts, science and culture; professors; teachers; and students from the Nikolai Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Arts and other higher education institutions. Also present were public figures, writers, pioneers and workers. They stood before the remains of the deceased with reverent sorrow, leafing through a collection of his drawings containing his finest work. Wreaths were laid by the Nikolai Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Arts, the Union of Bulgarian Artists, the Union of Bulgarian Writers, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Central Committee of the Dimitrov National Youth Union, the State Satirical Theatre and the Sturshel newspaper editorial office, among others.

The funeral of the People's Artist Iliya Beshkov will take place tomorrow. By decision of the Council of Ministers, the funeral will be state-funded.

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The funeral of the People's Artist Iliya Beshkov

Sofia, January 25, 1958 (BTA) - Today, before noon, mourners continued to pay their respects at the National Art Gallery, where the body of the People's Artist Prof. Ilia Beshkov, a distinguished master of caricature, graphic drawing and illustration, was laid to rest. Among those who came to pay their respects were artists, writers, composers, journalists, students and teachers from the N. Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Arts, as well as close friends, comrades and admirers of the artist. ... Artists, writers, composers, journalists, students and pupils formed an honour guard.

At 13:39, comrades Dimitar Ganev, Raiko Damyanov, Georgi Traikov, Ruben Avramov, Mitko Grigorov, Stoyan Tonchev, Nikolay Georgiev, Petar Tanchev, Todor Yanakiev, Ivan Bashev and Alexander Obretenov took their places in the honour guard.

Dechko Uzunov, an artist and a member of the Presidium of the Union of Artists in Bulgaria, gave a speech about the life and work of Prof. Iliya Beshkov: "As a painter, graphic artist, illustrator, cartoonist, teacher, public figure and fighter for social justice, Iliya Beshkov always exposed the injustices and hypocrisies of bourgeois society".

The Chairman of the Union of Journalists in Bulgaria, Slavcho Vasev, also gave a speech. "Iliya Beshkov devoted the most creative years of his life to the newspaper," he said. "Beshkov spoke many truths about those in power. He created an expose of a dark tyranny and thus contributed greatly to its downfall. Through the newspaper, he spoke to the people. That was how he served them best. He maintained this connection until his last breath."

Nikolay Georgiev, secretary of the Permanent Presence of the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union, delivered a speech at the grave of the national artist. A supporter of the idea of a united front between communists and agrarians in 1923-1925, Georgiev said that Iliya Beshkov's work had been invaluable in uniting the people's forces in the Fatherland Front, which was established in 1942. (…)

The rector of the N. Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Arts, Prof. Panayot Panayotov, spoke on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Culture. He noted that Beshkov was not only a great artist, but also an excellent teacher and educator who created the Illustration and Composition faculty at the Institute's Graphics studio and trained many young professionals.

Tsvyatko Nedkov, the secretary of the village council in the artist's native village of Dolni Dabnik, delivered a moving speech.

Wreaths were laid on the artist's grave by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture; the Permanent Presence of the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union; the National Council for the Protection of Peace; the Union of Artists in Bulgaria; the Union of Bulgarian Writers; the Union of Bulgarian Journalists; the Union of Bulgarian Composers; the N. Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Arts; the Fatherland Front; the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union in the village of Dolni Dabnik; and the editorial offices of some Sofia newspapers.