Bulgarian illustration now has its first Electronic Almanac – a large-scale project that collects and presents the visual history of an entire generation of artists. Its premiere took place in October at the Frankfurt International Book Fair, and starting this month, the edition, containing over 1000 pages of digital documentation of Bulgarian book graphics and illustration from the past ten years, is available for free download.

Funded by NextGenerationEU and the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the project represents the first comprehensive retrospective of Bulgarian illustration in PDF format. It features works by over 100 artists and illustrators, archives from exhibitions, biennials, and key cultural events. The almanac is published in Bulgarian and will be updated annually.

“This is not just an archive, but a living testimony to the evolution of an art form deeply rooted in Bulgarian culture,” shares Dr. Milena Radeva, founder of the Bulgarian Illustration platform. “The pages tell the story of a generation building a bridge between tradition and modernity.”

Digitization as a Cultural Mission

The project demonstrates how a small country can preserve and promote its cultural heritage through modern technologies. The model is applicable to other nations with rich but underrepresented visual traditions.

The almanac includes critical essays, interviews, and analyses, with special attention to the revived National Illustration Biennial, which had been discontinued since 1992. Featured artists include renowned names such as Yassen Gyuzelev, Lyuben Zidarov, Stefan Markov, Vadim Lazarkevich, Iliya Beshkov, Boris Stoilov, Vanya Nastanlieva, Nedko Solakov, Damyan Damyanov, Elena Zhablyanova, Iva Sasheva, Ina Hristova, and many others, including representatives of the younger generation.

Global Vision, National Recognition

The launch of the almanac coincides with the full rollout of the English version of the platform www.bulgarian-illustration.com, created in 2017 as the only national online space dedicated to book graphics in Bulgaria. For the first time, the entire Bulgarian illustration sector can be followed in real time from anywhere in the world.

Over the past eight years, the Bulgarian Illustration website has established itself as a national hub for illustration art – a place where publishers discover new talent, authors gain recognition, and the public connects with the richness of Bulgarian visual culture. The platform has received national awards for its contributions to culture and digital publishing.

With this project, Bulgaria fills a gap in global art history, where illustration from Western Europe, North America, and parts of Asia is well documented, while the visual traditions of Eastern Europe often remain in the shadows.

The almanac is available for free download at www.bulgarian-illustration.com and will be distributed to libraries, cultural institutions, and educational centers across the country.