Atanas Hranov ( bg, Атанас Хранов) is a

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Life and career

Atanas Hranov was born in

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

on October 11, 1961. He studied at the National Arts School in Kotel (1980) and graduated from Prof. Anton Donchev's

Woodcarving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

class at the

National Academy of Arts The National Academy of Arts ( bg, Национална художествена академия) is an institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country. History The National ...

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

in 1987. Hranov's works range from

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

, often representing an organic fusion of genres. His preferred materials include

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

, handmade

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

, and

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

coated

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

structures. Hranov has held more than 60 solo exhibitions and taken part in numerous group initiatives and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

ial projects. Center-of-contemporary-art---Plovdiv

He is involved in joint projects with poets Vesselin Sariev and Alexander Sekulov. Hranov lives and works in Plovdiv. Works of his are held at the

National Art Gallery List of national galleries is a list of national art galleries. {{tocright Africa *Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa *National Art Gallery of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia The Americas *Galería Nacional, San Juan, Puerto ...

in Sofia, many other museums across Bulgaria, and private collections in Bulgaria and elsewhere. Atanas Hranov is an avid

seafarer A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

Solo exhibitions

# 1992 – Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1993 – Center of contemporary art Bania Starinna, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 1993 – Institut Français, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1993 – Gallery 88,

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

# 1994 – Center of contemporary art Bania Starinna, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 1994 – Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1995 – Gallery 88, Luxembourg # 1995 – Dosev Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1996 – Dyakov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 1996 – Lucas Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 1996 – Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1997 – Lucas Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 1997 – Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1997 –

Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination a ...

Gallery,

Hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

# 1999 – Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1999 – Dyakov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 1999 – Lucas Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2000 – Lucas Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2000 – Artin Gallery,

Varna, Bulgaria Varna ( bg, Варна, ) is the third-largest List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the ...

# 2001 – Dyakov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2001 – Gallery 88, Luxembourg # 2001 – Art 36 Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2002 – Dyakov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2002 – Yuka Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2003 – Dyakov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2003 – Prolet Gallery,

Burgas Burgas ( bg, Бургас, ), sometimes transliterated as ''Bourgas'', is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in the region of Northern Thrace and the fourth-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna, with a popu ...

, Bulgaria # 2003 – Naturelle Gallery,

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

# 2004 – Dyakov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2004 – Naturelle Gallery, Munich, Germany # 2005 – Plovdiv City Art Gallery, Bulgaria # 2005 – ''Fragmenti'',

George Papazov George Papazov (Papasoff, Georges) ( bg, Георги Папазов) (2 February 1894, in Yambol – 23 April 1972, in Vence, Alpes-Maritimes) was a Bulgarian painter and writer. He became prominent in Paris, worked and died in France. He was amo ...

Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2005 – Prolet Gallery, Burgas, Bulgaria # 2006 – ''A Page from a Passport and a Little Hand Luggage'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2006 – Yuka Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2006 – George Papazov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2007 – George Papazov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2007 – ''The Little Female Saints of Valparaiso'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2007 – Yuka Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2007 – Prolet Gallery, Burgas, Bulgaria # 2008 – George Papazov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2008 – ''Fragments from my Room'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2009 – ''The Astronomy of Cherries'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2009 – Prolet Gallery, Burgas, Bulgaria # 2010 – ''Curriculum Vitae'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2010 – ''The Seventh Hill'', Resonance Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2010 – ''The Land of Dreams'', Le Papillon Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2011 – ''The History of Halos'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2011 – ''The Seventh Hill Project'', Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2012 – ''Both Your Faces I Love'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2012 – ''Little Favourite Portraits'', Eva's Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2013 – Gallery 88, Luxembourg # 2013 – ''A Voyage to the

Isla Negra Isla Negra is a coastal area in El Quisco commune in central Chile, some 45 km (70 km by road) south of Valparaiso and 96 km (110 km by road) west of Santiago. Pablo Neruda Isla Negra is best known as the residence of Chile ...

'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2013 – ''Paintings'', L'Union Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2014 – ''Seducing the Orient'', L'Union Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2014 – ''The Summer of my Bays'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2014 – ''The

Boris Christoff Boris Christoff ( bg, Борис Кирилов Христов, Boris Kirilov Hristov, ; 18 May 1914 – 28 June 1993) was a Bulgarian opera singer, widely considered one of the greatest basses of the 20th century. Early life He was born i ...

Project'', Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2014 – Prolet Gallery, Burgas, Bulgaria # 2015 – ''The

Chaldea Chaldea () was a small country that existed between the late 10th or early 9th and mid-6th centuries BCE, after which the country and its people were absorbed and assimilated into the indigenous population of Babylonia. Semitic-speaking, it was ...

ns'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2015 – ''A Return to Chaldea'', Le Papillon Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2016 – '' Balthazar's Kettles'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2016 – ''Balthazar's Diaries'', Philippopolis Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2017 – ''The Clear Outlines of Mr. H.'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2017 – ''Portraits from a Journey'', Le Papillon Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria #2017 – ''Paintings'', U PARK Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria #2018 – ''Breakfast in the Studio'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria #2018 – ''Probable Landscape'', Prolet Gallery, Burgas, Bulgaria # 2018 – ''Paintings'',„Atanas Hranov“
Programata, September 13, 2018 Philippopolis Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Group exhibitions and projects

# 1992 – 100 Gallery,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

# 1994 – Burgwedel Gallery,

Burgwedel Burgwedel is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km northeast of Hanover. It has a population of around 20,200. Politics and Administration Burgwedel consists of the following borough ...

# 1994 – De Leile Gallery,

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

# 1994 – Art Expo,

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

# 1995 – ''Oh, Gods'', Art 36 Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 1996 – ''The Man and the Document'', Center of contemporary art Bania Starinna, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 1997 – Bulgarian Art,

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

# 1997 – ''Campo & Campo'', Antwerp, Belgium # 1999 –

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

# 1999 – Gorcum Museum,

Gorinchem Gorinchem ( or ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of Oc ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

# 2001 – ''Spirit and Matters'' – ''August in Art'', Georgi Velchev Art Museum, Varna # 2002 – Vinizki Gallery, Munich, Germany # 2003 – ″K″ Gallery, Munich, Germany # 2003 – ''10/5/3'' – ''Painting and Matters'', National Exhibition Center for Contemporary Art, Sofia # 2004 – ''Re-Paper'', Sariev Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2004 – ''Don Quixote'', George Papazov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2004 – ″K″ Gallery, Munich, Germany # 2004 – Slapansky & Slapansky Gallery, Munich, Germany # 2004 - Schloss von Hohenstein Gallery, Germany # 2005 – Salzburg Gallery, Salzburg München Bank, Munich, Germany # 2005 – ''City and Colour'', Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2005 – ''Primitivism and Tradition'', National Autumn Exhibitions # 2005 – ''Classics – Contemporaries – Future Artists'', Aspect Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria # 2005 – ''Nasko H. Stories involving Rum, Ginger, Raisins, and Honey'': a collection of paintings and stories (with poet Alexander Sekulov) # 2006 – ''Classics – Contemporaries – Future Artists'', Aspect Gallery, #2007 – ''Nasko H. The Little Female Saints and the Black Pepper Men'': a collection of paintings and stories (with poet Alexander Sekulov) # 2008 – ''The Floating City and the Black Pepper Men'' (with poet Alexander Sekulov), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Travelling Exhibition, Apollonia Arts Festival 2008 # 2008 – ''The Cyrillic Script Project'', European Parliament,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

# 2009 – ''The Bulgarian Culture Days in Russia'', Manege,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

# 2011 – ''The Fourth of Plovdiv'', Eva's Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2012 – ''Entirely Useful Things'' (with poet Alexander Sekulov), Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria # 2012 – ''Pushkin & Plyushkin''. Collecting House for Entirely Useful Things (with poet Alexander Sekulov), Eva's Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria # 2016 – ''Friends of the Sea Contemporary Art Biennale'', Burgas, Bulgaria

Awards

* 2001 – ''Plovdiv Arts Award'' * 2004 – ''Dyakov Gallery Award'' * 2007 – ''″Amethyst Rose″ Award for High Artistic Achievements'' * 2016 – ''Friends of the Sea Contemporary Art Biennale Painting Award'', Burgas

Sources

External links

*
Atanas Hranov and Balthazar’s Kettles
YouTube, March 16, 2016
Balthazar’s Kettles: Exhibition for Dreamers
Bulgarian National Radio, March 28, 2016

Maritsa Daily, October 14, 2016
Atanas Hranov Invites to a Breakfast in the Studio
YouTube, April 18, 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hranov, Atanas 20th-century Bulgarian painters 20th-century male artists Modern painters 1961 births Artists from Plovdiv Living people Male painters