site.btaChristo and Jeanne-Claude Center: А Place for Creating Art

The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center is a place for creating art, its curator Margarita Dorovska said Wednesday. 

She was speaking during a presentation of LIK’s June issue, dedicated to the pioneering artist Christo (1935–2020) and his wife Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009). The event is taking place concurrently at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre in Gabrovo, North Central Bulgaria and BTA’s MaxiM Hall in Sofia as well as the BTA national press clubs across Bulgaria and abroad.

“It will soon be nine years since our journey to Lake Iseo. I realize how lucky I’ve been to come to Gabrovo, first as director of the Museum of Humor and Satire. One of the first things I heard was: ‘Do you know that a center named after Christo and Jeanne-Claude is being developed here, would you like to help?’ Ivan Gospodinov, whose name must be mentioned, the publisher of 100 Vesti newspaper and a member of the association Our Greater Gabrovo, was the driving force behind the idea. It began as a concept for an exhibition. That’s how my journey with the Center began, by organizing an exhibition together with Ivan, with the support of the Municipal Council and the strong backing of the Municipality of Gabrovo,” said Margarita Dorovska, curator of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center.

The exhibition she prepared turned out to be very important. It was divided into two parts, one dedicated to Christo’s projects and the other to his personal and family history.

She noted that Bulgaria has never been an easy place to make art. Dorovska believes that the Center, inspired by Christo’s art, demonstrates extraordinary ambition, independence, and an unwavering defense of artistic freedom, with one core mission, to inspire young artists.

“This center is for young artists. While it will showcase the works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, it is equally a place for creating art. That’s why the very first thing that happened in this building was to fill it with artists. What excites me most about the upcoming renovation is the plan for the workshops. Here, artists will be able to work with metal, wood, casting, ceramics, glass, textiles, various printmaking techniques, photography, and video. With this, the Center will become the largest investment, in both exhibiting and producing contemporary art, carried out in Bulgaria since 1989. The Center will be open to both local and international artists,” said Dorovska.

She stressed that the focus on making art is very important. Not only is it difficult to create art in Bulgaria, she said, but contemporary art in particular has historically had a hard time in the country.

“Imagine a newly liberated country with a largely uneducated population and artists, some of whom had studied abroad and returned, trying to create the kind of art practiced around the world. Now imagine an audience with limited education, a lack of art criticism, no galleries, no collectors, no public museums or art institutions. It wasn’t easy for them. Many had to take a step back to reconcile what they wanted to do with what was actually possible in Bulgaria,” Dorovska added.

She noted that Christo’s art is so contagious that he became the first artist to truly return to Bulgaria, thanks to a community in love with his work. “These were public figures and people in the art world, such as Georgi Lozanov, Evgenia Atanasova, Lachezar Boyadjiev, and a now very large and powerful group that made this Center possible,” she said.

“I was very fortunate to land in a municipality where art matters, one that strongly supports the development of contemporary art and culture,” Dorovska concluded.