The Plein Air Painting Event “Bozhentsi” started in 1975 as an international event. Since then it has been taking place nearly every year. It is held at the unique Architectural and Historical Reserve in the village of Bozhentsi in the central part of the Balkan Mountains near Gabrovo.

Тhis tradition has been broken two times when it was once held at the Etar Ethnographic Museum and  once at the Sokolski Monastery.

At first it was mainly organized by a group of Gabrovian artists. Some names that are associated with it are those of Nikola Nikolov, Ivan Kanchev, Ivan Hristov – Groga, Mincho Minchev and many other Gabrovians. It was initially only held during the fall, but in 1977 a parallel spring edition in which young artists took part started taking place. It was held in early April, when the university students had their spring break. The first participants in the so-called “Youth Plein Air Painting Event” were Yordan Lazarov, Dimitrinka Grancharova, Tsvetan Kolev, Dyanko Kolev, Ivan Kanchev, Ivan Tsachev, Amaliya Mincheva, Mincho Minchev, Ivan Barakov, Ivan Bankov, Ema Verterova and Tsetsa Velikova.

The Bozentsi Plein Air Painting Event is of utmost importance to the Gabrovo Gallery because it is thanks to it that the gallery fund has acquired a vast collection of contemporary international art pieces. The artists taking part in it are predominantly European and represent different trends and tendencies in artistic expression as well as the most characteristic artistic phenomena from their respective national backgrounds.

The aim of this event is to facilitate creative exchange between artists from different countries, artistic schools and art trends and movements.

Every edition of this event concludes with an exhibition of the works at Hristo Tsokev Art Gallery.

Dr. Nelly Nedeva

Translation by Gabriela Hristova