Radi Nedelchev
Encyclopedia
Radi Nedelchev (born April 1, 1938) is a Bulgaria
n artist best known as a painter of naïve art
. His paintings depict mostly landscapes, village life and festivals.
Nedelchev was born in the village of Ezerche
, a mixed community of Christians and Muslims, 50 km from the river port of Rousse
on the Danube
. His family were farmers and peasant artisans, his mother a weaver and his father a wood carver. From an early age Nedelchev was a compulsive drawer.
At fifteen, after a quarrel with his father, Nedelchev ran away from home to the Black Sea
coast, taking various jobs to survive. At eighteen, he was conscripted into the army for three years of national service. On completion, he enrolled at the newly formed state art school in Rousse where he met painter Marko Monev and shared a studio.
In 1963 Nedelchev and Monev journeyed widely through rural Bulgaria, sketching and painting, and attempting to make contact with other artists as they travelled. This period in Bulgarian history was a time when the conditions of the peasantry were being vastly transformed by the collectivisation process, Nedelchev and Monev observed the dying ways and traditions and this is reflected in their works. In 1964 the two ended their travels back at the Danube. Nedelchev was befriended by the artist Trifon Nikolov, and for a time lived and painted in his studio.
By 1966 Nedelchev was starting to have regular exhibitions and at one of these he met his future wife, Mariya. In 1968 they married and moved to Razgrad
where Nedelchev formed a local Union of Artists. In 1971 Nedelchev’s art was discovered for the first time outside of Bulgaria where, in Switzerland, art critic and writer Anatole Jakovsky
awarded him a special prize in a worldwide competition for naive art. A series of exhibitions followed and Nedelchev visited Paris for the first time, although it was made clear by the communist authorities that this visit was a privilege.
In fact, Nedelchev had favourable offers of help to leave Bulgaria and start a new life in the West, but he preferred to stay in his homeland, despite the restrictions imposed there. Consequently, lack of access to Western galleries and the art market precluded Nedelchev from following a career path as any Western artist might perceive it. Nevertheless, Nedelchev’s work has found its way into many private and corporate collections, as well as into the hands of many foreign ambassadors and politicians. Examples are the Krupp Corporation — Germany, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
– India, and ex-Chinese Premier Li Peng
.
Radi Nedelchev is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists
and also holds The Order of Cyril and Methodius 1st class – the highest prize for art and culture in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n artist best known as a painter of naïve art
Naïve art
Naïve art is a classification of art that is often characterized by a childlike simplicity in its subject matter and technique. While many naïve artists appear, from their works, to have little or no formal art training, this is often not true...
. His paintings depict mostly landscapes, village life and festivals.
Nedelchev was born in the village of Ezerche
Ezerche
Ezerche is a village in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Tsar Kaloyan Municipality, Razgrad Province. It has a population of about 2,000. It was the birthplace of the artist Radi Nedelchev. The village is around from the capital of Sofia....
, a mixed community of Christians and Muslims, 50 km from the river port of Rousse
Rousse
Ruse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. His family were farmers and peasant artisans, his mother a weaver and his father a wood carver. From an early age Nedelchev was a compulsive drawer.
At fifteen, after a quarrel with his father, Nedelchev ran away from home to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
coast, taking various jobs to survive. At eighteen, he was conscripted into the army for three years of national service. On completion, he enrolled at the newly formed state art school in Rousse where he met painter Marko Monev and shared a studio.
In 1963 Nedelchev and Monev journeyed widely through rural Bulgaria, sketching and painting, and attempting to make contact with other artists as they travelled. This period in Bulgarian history was a time when the conditions of the peasantry were being vastly transformed by the collectivisation process, Nedelchev and Monev observed the dying ways and traditions and this is reflected in their works. In 1964 the two ended their travels back at the Danube. Nedelchev was befriended by the artist Trifon Nikolov, and for a time lived and painted in his studio.
By 1966 Nedelchev was starting to have regular exhibitions and at one of these he met his future wife, Mariya. In 1968 they married and moved to Razgrad
Razgrad
Razgrad is a city in northeastern Bulgaria, administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Razgrad Province. As of February 2011, it has a population of 33,238 inhabitants.-History:...
where Nedelchev formed a local Union of Artists. In 1971 Nedelchev’s art was discovered for the first time outside of Bulgaria where, in Switzerland, art critic and writer Anatole Jakovsky
Anatole Jakovsky
Anatole Jakovsky was a French art critic who wrote substantially, collected widely, and established a museum in Nice for Naïve art, Musée international d'Art naïf Anatole Jakovsky....
awarded him a special prize in a worldwide competition for naive art. A series of exhibitions followed and Nedelchev visited Paris for the first time, although it was made clear by the communist authorities that this visit was a privilege.
In fact, Nedelchev had favourable offers of help to leave Bulgaria and start a new life in the West, but he preferred to stay in his homeland, despite the restrictions imposed there. Consequently, lack of access to Western galleries and the art market precluded Nedelchev from following a career path as any Western artist might perceive it. Nevertheless, Nedelchev’s work has found its way into many private and corporate collections, as well as into the hands of many foreign ambassadors and politicians. Examples are the Krupp Corporation — Germany, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is India's primary nuclear research facility based in Mumbai. It has a number of nuclear reactors, all of which are used for India's nuclear power and research programme.- History :...
– India, and ex-Chinese Premier Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
.
Radi Nedelchev is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists
Union of Bulgarian Artists
Union of Bulgarian Artists is a non-profit association for Bulgarian artists which can trace its routes back to 1893. It currently has about 2700 members - artists and critics from all generations - drawn from the many fields of the representational arts. The mission of the UBA is to protect the...
and also holds The Order of Cyril and Methodius 1st class – the highest prize for art and culture in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...