site.btaIvan Milev's Ahinora and Other Kazanlak Art Gallery Paintings Displayed at Bulgarian Parliament

An exhibition titled My Eyes… On the Gaze of Womеn in Bulgarian Art, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the painting Ahinora by Kazanlak artist Ivan Milev, was officially opened at the National Assembly Marble Foyer on Wednesday in the presence of Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova, Culture Minister Marian Bachev, Kazanlak Art Gallery Director Plamen Petrov, MPs and guests of the legislature.

The exhibition features works owned by the Kazanlak Art Gallery, the Chudomir Literary and Art Museum, and the art collection of the Cultural Centre in the town of Shipka. The display's centrepiece is a museum replica of Ivan Milev’s iconic painting Ahinora.

Kiselova noted that Ahinora can only be compared to the Mona Lisa. She emphasized that all the paintings on display depict female figures and express the artist's effort to capture the beauty of Bulgarian women through the brushstroke.

"The National Assembly is a venue for culture, too, not just a scene of political debate and discussion," the Chair added.

The exhibition is held under the auspices of Member of Parliament Iliyana Zhekova and with the support of the Municipality of Kazanlak. The featured artists include Vladimir Dimitrov – Maistora, Zahari Zhelev, Ivan Enchev - Vidyu, Hristo Kutev, Vasil Barakov, Nenko Balkanski, Mara Chorbadzhiyska, Georgi Bozhilov - Slona, Nadezhda Kuncheva and Stefanka Stoycheva.