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Bulgarian engraver Nikola Popov: Exhibition and donations

On April 9, an exhibition on Nikola Popov's work opens at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute – "Haus Wittgenstein." Popov studied at the Special School for Engravers at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna from 1890 to 1895. In 2024, the University Archive received two donations: a print by Popov and two documents from his student days.

Nikola Popov was born in 1865 in what is now Stara Zagora. In 1895, the first academically trained Bulgarian engraver graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. While still a student, he participated in the art section of the First Bulgarian Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition in 1892 in Plovdiv. Later, he was the only Bulgarian representative in the "Copperplate Engraving and Lithography" section at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. After returning to Bulgaria, he devoted many years to teaching and died in 1954 in the capital, Sofia. He is the recipient of the Golden Füger Medal, which is still awarded today as an award for outstanding achievements at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Now, 130 years later, the prints Nikola Popov worked on in the studio of Prof. Johannes Sonnenleiter are returning to Austria to be exhibited at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute – "Haus Wittgenstein."

Stiche und Striche aus Wien
The exhibition will run from April 9 to May 7, 2025, and will feature works from the collections of the Loran Gallery, the Djurkovi Gallery, as well as from the collections of Dr. Rumen Manov, Alexander Kerezov, Dr. Ludmil Veselinov, and Viktor Bajdanov. The opening of the exhibition will feature the monograph Nikola Popov – The Engraver, written by Elisaveta Stantcheva, who is also the exhibition curator.

Two donations
The Archive of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna received two donations in 2024, both concerning Nikola Popov (this is the current spelling; in the files he is referred to as Nikolaus Popow or Popoff). 

  1. Donation from Dr. Ludmil Veselinov, Bulgaria: Nikola Popov, Portrait of a Man, 1893, copperplate engraving and etching. This print will be on display at the Wittgenstein House exhibition. The man depicted is unfortunately unknown.

  2. Donation from Dr. Rumen Manov, Bulgaria, of two documents from Nikola Popov during his studies: a certificate from 1891 and a confirmation of his studies from 1893, signed by his professor, Johannes Sonnenleiter (such original certificates are usually not in the archive because they were given to the students).

These donations were initiated by Elisaveta Stantcheva, the curator of the exhibition.