Sofia, 1932 – Sofia, 2009
She studied illustration at the National Academy of Sofia under Iliya Beshkov. She graduated in 1959 and in 1963 became a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. She was also a member of the Salon d’Automne in Paris. In 1983 she was elected lecturer at the Sofia Academy and later became associate professor. She is considered one of the distinctive voices of postwar Bulgarian art. Her work, though starting from a realist framework, reveals a deep knowledge of Cézanne (in her landscapes) and Puvis de Chavannes (in her nudes). She painted landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and above all sensitive female nudes in humble interiors or natural settings. Her precise drawing, subdued palette, and, above all, the tranquility exuded by her works, made her painting a testimony of privacy and deliberate withdrawal. She presented her work in solo and group exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad. In 1979 she received the title of Honored Artist, and in 1982 the First Degree Medal of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Her works are held in the National Gallery of Bulgaria, the Sofia City Art Gallery, the galleries of Pleven, Gabrovo, Varna, among others, as well as in other collections. In 2022, on the 90th anniversary of her birth, the National Gallery organized a major retrospective of her work, curated by Ivo Milev.