Artist Alexi Natchev is celebrating 50 years of creative work with an exhibition titled “Turned Pages” at the Academy Gallery of the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria. The show, opened by Natchev and art historian Filip Zidarov, features illustrations, prints, and drawings from various periods of his career, including book illustrations, sketchbooks, and graphic series. The exhibition runs until June 21.
The exhibition matters because it highlights the career of a Bulgarian-born artist who has built a significant transatlantic practice, illustrating over 20 children's books for American publishers and teaching at major U.S. art schools. Natchev’s work bridges Bulgarian and American artistic traditions, and his retrospective offers insight into the enduring role of book illustration as a fine art form.