NS the artist Michalis Garudis died, his friend the journalist Ivan Garelov confirmed for BTA.
On October 5, 2021, Arte Gallery in Sofia presented a jubilee exhibition of paintings by Michalis Garudis.
Gergana Borisova from the gallery explained to BTA that Garudis was ill with COVID-19, and the disease was discovered after he returned to Greece. She added that the artist was very happy to have set up the exhibition, which was postponed several times due to the pandemic.
“He was happy to come here. Unfortunately, it all came out as a farewell to Bulgaria, to his friends, to his fans, to everyone,” Borissova added, adding that the artist had said that all his friendships were here in Bulgaria. He has lived in Greece for 35 years, he has not been able to create such.
Michalis Garudis’ exhibition at the Arte Gallery can still be seen on October 18th and 19th.
Michalis Garudis was born on January 20, 1940, in the village of Bulgarkoy in Greece. His family emigrated to Bulgaria during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949). In 1965, Michalis Garudis graduated in Painting from the Nikolai Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Arts (now the National Academy of Arts) under Prof. Iliya Petrov. At the beginning of his career he created still lifes, seascapes, figural compositions with poetic and philosophical messages. Later he began working in the field of monumental sculpture and ceramics. The first solo exhibition of Michalis Garudis was in 1971 at the Rayko Alexiev Gallery in Sofia. In the traditions of Bulgarian art, the artist’s name is associated with hyperrealism in painting.
Since 1986, Michalis Garudis has lived and worked in Thessaloniki, Greece. The artist’s paintings are in the possession of foreign museums and galleries in a number of European cities and in Asia and the United States. Private collectors from Italy, Japan, France, Greece and Bulgaria own his compositions.
