5 secret jewels to discover in Europe

5 joyaux secrets à découvrir en Europe

L'Œil magazine has curated a list of five European cities rich in art historical treasures, highlighting hidden gems for cultural getaways. The first city profiled is Mainz, Germany, featuring the Romanesque-Gothic Mainzer Dom (Imperial Cathedral of St. Martin), the Gutenberg Museum showcasing the 42-line Bible as a landmark of printing history, and the Church of St. Stephen with its iconic blue stained-glass windows designed by Marc Chagall. The second city is Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where the old town blends ancient Roman ruins (a stadium, forum, odeon, and theater from the 2nd century) with 19th-century Bulgarian National Revival houses, such as the Balabanov, Hindliyan, and Kuyumdzhioglu houses, now converted into museums.

vanderbilt sapphire phillips geneva jewels 1234761304

Phillips’s “Geneva Jewels Auction” on Monday achieved CHF 13.7 million ($17 million) in total sales, with 96 of 113 lots sold (85% sell-through rate). Twelve lots from the Vanderbilt family sold out, contributing CHF 3.42 million ($4.25 million)—four times their low estimate. The top lot was “The Vanderbilt Sapphire,” a 42-karat sugarloaf Kashmir sapphire and diamond brooch by Tiffany & Co., which sold for CHF 2.88 million ($3.57 million), exceeding its $1–1.5 million estimate. Other highlights included a Cartier Magnificent diamond brooch ($560,582), a Bulgari “Serpenti” belt ($368,383), and multiple Cartier “Panthère” jewels. The auction drew over 1,600 visitors and bids from 44 countries.

thirty five arrested in bulgaria criminal art trafficking network 1234762594

Bulgarian authorities, with support from Europol, arrested 35 individuals and conducted 131 searches across Bulgaria, seizing over 3,000 cultural artifacts valued at more than €100 million. The operation targeted a criminal network trafficking artifacts from Thracian and Greco-Roman civilizations across Europe, with connections to illegal excavations in Bulgaria and the Balkans. The investigation, which began after a 2020 house raid that uncovered 7,000 artifacts, involved law enforcement from Albania, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and the UK, and was coordinated from Sofia and Eurojust in The Hague.

Panagyurishte Art Gallery gets Optimal Audio upgrade

Panagyurishte Art Gallery in Bulgaria has upgraded its audio system with an Optimal Audio solution. The installation aims to enhance the visitor experience by providing high-quality sound throughout the gallery spaces, supporting both permanent collections and temporary exhibitions.

Im Youngzoo wins Frieze Seoul Artist Award

Multimedia artist Im Youngzoo has won the Frieze Seoul Artist Award 2025, creating a new commission titled "Calming Signal" for this year's edition of the fair. The three-channel video installation explores how humans use learned and repeated gestures during times of collective unease, drawing inspiration from Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas's concept of calming signals—instinctual behaviors animals use to de-escalate conflict. Im, born in 1982, works across video, installation, performance, and virtual reality, and has also been shortlisted for the 2025 Korea Artist Prize, with her work currently on view at MMCA Seoul.

Chronicles from the Studio. 130 years of Vasil Zahariev – artist, teacher, researcher

The Regional Historical Museum – Sofia is opening an exhibition titled "Chronicles from the Studio. 130 years of Vasil Zahariev – artist, teacher, researcher" on July 17, 2025, running through November 30, 2025. The show marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of Bulgarian graphic artist Vasil Zahariev, featuring original works, personal belongings, documents, and photographs from his archive. Zahariev was also a lecturer and rector at the Academy of Arts, and a researcher of Bulgarian Renaissance art.

China-Bulgaria art exhibition opens in Sofia

A joint China-Bulgaria art exhibition opened in Sofia, Bulgaria on August 18, 2025, featuring over 60 works by Chinese and Bulgarian artists. The six-day event showcases Chinese ink paintings, woodcarvings, embroidery, lacquer painting, tie-dye, batik, and digital art alongside Bulgarian works inspired by traditional textiles, felt, and contemporary interpretations of local heritage. Participants include 15-year-old Gabriela Georgieva, who presented two watercolor paintings.