Плевен, 1954
Of Jewish descent, he was born in Pleven. He studied fresco and monumental art at St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, under Nikola Gelov. In 1985, together with Andrei Daniel, Bozhidar Boyadzhiev, Vihroni Popnedelev, Nedko Solakov, and Philip Zidarov, he co-founded the pioneering art group ‟The City”. He taught at the Pleven Music High School, and in 1992 he was elected lecturer in fabric painting at the School of Applied Arts of the National Academy of Arts. In 2003, he was appointed professor in the Department of Textile Design. He is considered one of the most important living Bulgarian painters. He works in oil painting as well as with lighter media (ink, watercolor), producing landscapes, nudes, and abstract compositions. His style is rooted in Symbolism and is marked by a strongly lyrical quality, even in his most abstract works. He assimilates influences from Expressionism and children’s art, with vivid color and free brushwork as defining features. He has held significant public positions, including Vice-Rector of the National Academy of Arts (2000–2004) and Vice-President of the National Culture Fund (19992007). In 2014, he received the ‟Golden Age” award for his contribution to Bulgarian culture. He has presented his work in numerous solo exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad and has participated in group shows. In 2024, the Union of Bulgarian Artists organized a retrospective in Sofia titled ‟Greddy Assa: Journeys”. His works are held in the National Gallery of Bulgaria, the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niš (Serbia), among others.