A painting by Bulgarian artist Ivan Vukadinov has become part of the Vatican Museums’ collection, Dimitar Ganchev of the Radio Vaticana told BTA.

The message of Ivan Vukadinov’s work is definitely a strong and bright one, with a discernible sacral element, a message about art and faith, said Vatican Museums Director Barbara Jatta, commenting on the significance of the donation. The painting, titled In Memory of Heroes (Chile), is already part of the Contemporary Art Collection.

Heroes was accepted by the Contemporary Art Collection curator Dr. Micol Forti in the presence of the caretaker Minister of Culture Velislav Minekov, Bulgarian Ambassador to the Vatican Bogdan Patashev, Prof. Aksinia Dzhurova, an art critic who studied Vukadinov’s art, as well as the artist’s family members.

Remarking that this is an important moment in the relations between the Holy See and Bulgaria, Jatta said the painting is a beautiful sign of friendship and connectivity, but above all of handing over the values of freedom and peace.

On his part, Minekov commented that the acceptance of the painting is truly a gesture Ivan Vukadinov deserves, but one Bulgarians deserve as well. Relations between Bulgaria and the Holy See have never ceased and have always existed on a plane of goodness and mutual understanding, he added.

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