Dechko Uzunov’s self-portraits are the centerpiece of the exhibition presented by the Sofia City Art Gallery team in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The paintings and drawings featured in the exhibition will get viewers acquainted with the artist’s craftsmanship at the moments he took a closer look at himself, thus letting them experience his various states of mind. The works Self-portrait with Saints, 1982, and Family Portrait (Self-portrait with Olga), 1982, are complemented with Self-portrait, 1983, from the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, and Don Quixote without Sancho Panza, 1982, from the permanent collection of the House of Humor and Satire Museum in the city of Gabrovo. The effect of the self-portrait paintings is further enhanced by little-known sketches and drawings by the artist kept at the Dechko Uzunov Art Gallery.
Dechko Uzunov was born at the close of the nineteenth century, while his life and career as an artist spanned almost the whole of the twentieth century. Living his life with the same vigor he made his art, the artist was always the center of attention for critics, journalists, fellow artists, and the general public. A renowned portraitist, noted for his craftsmanship in monumental art, highly praised for his compositions, landscapes, still lifes, and nude bodies, in demand as an illustrator and scenographer, he was also a beloved professor, a pleasure to talk to, and an authoritative figure that never failed to make an impression. He always had a commanding presence, often contrasting with his surroundings. The artist’s mannerisms, his peculiar sense of humor, communication style characterized by both theatricality and effortlessness, knowledgeability, proficiency in art enabling him to appreciate the work of artists whom he had significant conceptual differences with, encouraged many people to constantly seek his company.
Dechko Uzunov thrived in his studio where he made his art. In the silence of it, his inner voice was in harmony with his soul. A voice that brought to light what only the artist was aware of. In the studio, Uzunov would go back time and again to themes, images, and colors he worked on and off with until he brought them to completion. This is where he also took a closer look at his own image. Unfortunately, the artist did not leave us an extensive succession of self-portraits from which to infer his biography, but only a few images of himself, and this exhibition provides viewers with the opportunity to get acquainted with them.

* All quotes in the exhibition are part of the article by Adelina Filleva “The Image of Dechko Uzunov”. – In: Dechko Uzunov. Memory and Oblivion. Sofia, 2003.