The exhibition dedicated to the great Bulgarian artist Danail Dechev (1891 – 1962) is a long-standing dream for the team of the Loran Gallery. For years, we have been collecting and systematizing his works in order to present a more intimate and in-depth look at his art.

In the gallery’s salon at 30 Marin Drinov St. in Sofia, you will see landscapes from the Thracian Plain, the Rhodope Mountains, Sofia, Sozopol, Balchik, female images and other plot lines characteristic of Dechev’s work. Our collection does not claim to be representative, but through his exquisite and precise drawings with charcoal and pastel, as well as through the chamber oil canvases, colored with his typical brushstrokes, we get a sense of the “artist’s laboratory” – the process of searching for and building the image. This is precisely what makes the contemporary reading particularly exciting.

We chose the musical term “Nocturne” as the name of the exhibition because most of the works were created “ala prima”, but they carry a sense of depth, of slow, contemplative work. They are not quick sketches, but penetrating and complete sketches.

Danail Dechev, born in Razgrad 134 years ago, had a difficult life and creative destiny. He lost his father at an early age, and his life was harsh and marked by deprivation. Despite the ban by his older brother to apply to the Academy of Arts, he did not give up on his dream of being an artist. Years later, he received recognition from both critics and the public. He was accepted into the Society of South Bulgarian Artists, and in 1933, together with the already famous modernists Vitko Babakov and Tsanko Lavrenov, he created the group “Babakov – Dechev – Lavrenov”, which organized exhibitions in Plovdiv, Chirpan and Pazardzhik. His friendship with Tsanko Lavrenov was deep – in 1942, together with his wife, they were best men at the wedding of Yordanka and Tsanko Lavrenov in Sofia.

The history of Bulgarian art ranks the man from Razgrad, who was deeply connected to the land of Bulgaria, among our great landscape painters. During his lifetime, he was honored many times by the socialist state, and his paintings were purchased by art galleries throughout the country. Ten years after his death, a monograph dedicated to him was published, with a text by Bogomil Raynov – an honor bestowed on few artists.

But after this peak in the perception and appreciation of Dechev, decades of oblivion followed, and some of his works and his personal archive were lost or became the subject of encroachments. In the 1990s, his daughter Vanya, living in France, managed to export some of his most valuable paintings with special permission from the Ministry of Culture. Years later, when she was already old and sick, the French state took over her care, while at the same time selling off all her property. Some of Dechev’s works were acquired by Bulgarian collectors and were briefly exhibited at the National Gallery, after which their traces were lost. In 2021, the Art Gallery in Razgrad organized an exhibition on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the artist’s birth.

A retrospective exhibition of Danail Dechev on a national scale has not been organized for decades. Bogomil Raynov’s monograph continues to be the only serious publication on the artist, but due to the poor printing quality, the reproductions in it remain of low value for future generations.

We share these facts because we believe that the fate of an artistic heritage should not depend solely on the will or capabilities of the artist himself. Taking care of its preservation and promotion is the duty of public institutions, but also of private galleries, such as ours.

We are happy to be able to show this small but valuable collection. It is also connected with the family tradition of our gallery – to present authors from the close circle of friends of Tsanko Lavrenov. And for those who do not know – “Loran” is the pseudonym with which the young Lavrenov signed his first paintings.

The exhibition “Danail Dechev (1891 – 1962). Nocturne” includes 61 works and can be seen from June 16 to July 12, 2025 in the salon of the “Loran” gallery at 30 Marin Drinov Street.

Lavren Petrov