Reliefs of the founders of Ivan Vazov National Library
Plovdiv, 1979
On 24.10.1979, memorial signs – reliefs of the founders of the library were placed in the lobby of “Ivan Vazov” National Library in Plovdiv. The occasion was the celebration of one hundred years since the foundation of the second largest public library in Bulgaria.
The memorial signs are relief images of Joakim Gruev – Bulgarian educator, pedagogue, teacher, book publisher and public figure; of Alexander Bashmakov – founder and first director of the Plovdiv library; and to Boris Djakovic – director of the library from 1901 to 1932. The relief of Magno Stoyanov, curator after 1945, was added later, in 2011.
The composition was decided by mounting and arranging relief portraits made of bronze in a staggered sequence and placing letters with the names on the stone facing of the wall in the lobby of the library. The composition is finished and balanced with several brass moldings. The relief of the individual faces is deep and maximum credibility and similarity to the originals was the goal.
Special thanks to the team of “Ivan Vazov” National Library for the assistance provided in the research and discovery of archival articles from the periodical press mentioning Viktor Todorov.
See all zoomable photos here:
