Faces of Modernism – an еxibition in the National Art Gallery, Sofia

Paintings from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, 1910 - 1940

Text by Christos Carras, project manager

“Balkan Modernism”: for those not well aware of the art history of
Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the title of our project may seem to
be an oxymoron. After all, aren’t the Balkans an incurably backward
part of the world, bogged down in continous strife and more likely to
engage in massive bloodletting than in the creation of modern art?
Moreover, wasn’t the modern movement the exclusive domain of the
industrially developed, western nations? One of the objectives of the
Balkan Modernisms project is to go some way towards dispelling these
preconceptions, putting the history of art in our part of the world, during
the period under consideration, in a more balanced perspective by
bringing out both regional and national specificities and revealing the
multi ple levels on which Bulgaria, Greece and Romania were involved
in a profound transformation of their local aesthetic preoccupations
by integrating ideas, forms and techniques that were developed in the
major cosmopolitan metropoleis of western Europe. The outcome will
be an enriched understanding of the wealth and breadth of the cultural
activity in what was perceived as the “peri phery” and a realization of
the significance of modern art for the formation of a European cultural
identity.
The geopolitical conditions of the early 20th century were complex and
turbulent: the social and political upheaval, uncertainly and turmoil
of the interwar period, the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-
Hungarian Empires, the rise of Socialism and Nationalism, the increase
of immigration, and the outbreak of Fascism. All Europeans to a certain
extent experienced or were affected by the above, but what differentiated
the three countries in question was their geographical position that
exposed them to numerous threats, aggravated by their newly won
independence. It goes without saying that all progressive ideas were
delayed in developing in the “peri phery” of Europe, especially within
conservative universe of the Ottoman Empire. And it is no surprise that
the rise of nationalism and liberation movements decisively marked the
aims and expression of their art. Indeed, once the story of modern art
and its representatives in Greece, Romania and Bulgaria unfolds, the
common points these countries have will appear to be impressive.
The key figures of modernism in those countries studied in the main
cultural centres of Europe, thus becoming subject to the influence of
avant-garde movements. Once they returned to their homelands they
brought back their cosmopolitan experience and ideas for artistic renewal.
The particularity of the modernist movement in the peri phery of Europe
should be traced to the urge of many modern artists of the Balkans to
shape a distinct national identity whilst simultaneously appealing to the
perceived universal validity of modern aesthetic precepts, to combine
modernist or avant-garde formal approaches with traditional techniques
and thematic references.

Exibitions:
National Museum of Art of Romania
1 October – 29 November 2009
National Art Gallery, Sofia
17 December 2009 – 16 February 2010
B & M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music, Athens
10 March – 9 May 2010
Coordinators of the project:
Boris Danailov, Christos Carras, Roxana Theodorescu
Curators of the exhibition:
Irina Genova, Takis Mavrotas, Mariana Vida