The Anniversary collection dedicated to Prof. Ivanka Gergova, DSc, was presented in Sofia
On 30 March 2026, at the San Stefano Gallery in Sofia, the publication ‘Art History as a Vocation. A Collection in Honour of Corr. Member, Prof. Ivanka Gergova, DSc, on the Occasion of Her 70th Birthday”, realised with the support of the Ministry of Culture under the “Book Aid” programme, was presented. In her welcoming address, the Director of the Institute of Art Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Joanna Spassova-Dikova, PhD, highlighted the significance of Prof. Gergova’s scholarly work, noted that the volume contains articles by 40 authors from Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, the Republic of North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Romania, and Russia, and emphasised the publication's significance as a liber amicorum – in other words, a book composed of texts by colleagues and like-minded scholars – as an act of high regard for the distinguished scholar’s research work.
Assoc. Prof. Margarita Kuyumdzhieva, PhD, presented the initiative and the team responsible for compiling the collection in honour of one of Bulgaria’s most prominent art historians in detail, and noted that the volume bears witness to the activity of a small but close-knit scholarly community that is not only seeking to meet the recently imposed requirements for public visibility, but also to preserve and develop the quality of the research it conducts and the books it publishes. Prof. Maria Yovcheva, PhD, from Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’ presented the publication in detail, paying special attention to each of the articles included in the volume and outlining the main thematic areas of the research. She emphasised that the book reflects the academic community’s sincere recognition of Prof. Gergova’s achievements – one of the most authoritative contemporary researchers on Bulgaria’s cultural heritage.
The event attracted considerable interest and brought together representatives of the academic community, cultural institutions, and a wide range of admirers – a well-deserved tribute to Prof. Ivanka Gergova and her contribution to the development of the Bulgarian humanities. The collection is likely to be of interest and use to a wide range of specialists in the field of humanities and has been uploaded for free access on the Institute's website.
