STAVRI KALINOV
BIOGRAPHY
about the artist
Born on 15 November 1944 in the city of Vidin, NorthWest Bulgaria. In 1964 he graduated from high school in Vidin and for three consecutive years from 1966 to 1968 he applied at the Institute of Fine Arts "Nikolai Pavlovich" (today the National Academy of Arts), but never got accepted. During those years he worked freelance in the fields of posters, commercial advertising and the production of art objects. He was finally accepted in 1969. He graduated in 1977.
Stavri’s art include artworks with silk, plaster, bronze, silver, gold, cold ceramics, but his preferred material is glass. Since 1973 he has regularly taken part in sculpture exhibitions. Kalinov opened his first solo exhibition in May 1980, when he exhibited 70 of his sculptures. Exhibitions followed in Vidin, Gabrovo, Varna, Nessebar, Plovdiv, as well as abroad, in Yugoslavia, Italy, Australia, Germany, Spain, Great Britain, France, USA, Switzerland, Belgium.
He is the author of numerous statuettes for festivals and competitions, including the Golden Mesemvria Festival and the Balkanika 2006 literary award. His sculpture "The Truth about the Pen" is in the garden in front of the Bulgarian Telegraph Association in Sofia. His statuette of the Custodians of the Boyana Church, Constantine and Helena, was presented to Pope John Paul II. He made portraits of Vasil Levski, Jules Paskin, John Atanasov, Boris Hristov, Nikolai Gjaurov and other famous Bulgarians. He also creates Orthodox icons.
Stavri Kalinov has created the statuettes for many prizes and awards for numerous elite competitions in Bulgaria and the Balkans. He has made the prize statuette for the "Woman Manager of the Year" category. Kalinov also made the golden statuettes "The Fisherman and the Golden Fish", which are awards to all winners in the "Mr. Economy" contest.
He has won various awards, including the Crystal Star of the Macta Gallery for the best exhibition in 1995.