site.btaChristo Shows How People Can Pursue Their Goals, National Academy of Arts Rector Says

The most valuable lesson that can be learned from Christo is how a person can pursue his goals, as he convinced city governments, ecologists, bureaucrats, and administrations to realize his projects for decades, National Academy of Arts (NAA) Rector Georgi Yankov said during the presentation of LIK's June issue.

The June issue of LIK magazine is dedicated to the pioneering artist Christo (1935–2020) and his wife Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009). The event took place at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre in Gabrovo (North Central Bulgaria), but Yankov took part as a guest at the BTA National Press Club in Burgas.

"He has consistently funded his own projects by selling his drawings and sketches. He exemplifies an artist motivated by strong ideals and remains distant from commercial interests," Yankov said. 

Christo Javacheff, who was born in Gabrovo, began studying at the NAA in the 1950s, Yankov recalled, noting that during his studies, Christo decided that the situation in Bulgaria did not meet his global desires. " This led him to move first to the Czech Republic, then to Austria, and later to the USA, where he gained international recognition for his work," Yankov recalled.

The National Academy of Arts preserves Christo's sketches and drawings that he made as a student. "We often show them to our students so that they can see what a high academic preparation he had. It is important to say that it is precisely on the basis of this preparation that he does what we all know him for. Christo's work shows contemporary artists that it is important to have preparation, and a serious one, regardless of the direction in which they will develop," Yankov stated.

He noted that Javacheff and his wife Jeanne-Claude are holders of the honorary distinction Honoris Causa of the National Academy of Arts. "Accepting the award, Christo made a donation to the academy, including posters of his most interesting visual realizations that he has made around the world," Yankov said.