Valentín Kovatchev (Sofia, Bulgaria, 1953)

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1953 into a family of lawyers and diplomats, Valentín Kovatchev graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Sofia in 1981, specializing in printmaking.

Artist, curator, teacher, and publisher, he has organized and participated in numerous exhibitions and art events at both national and international levels, in countries including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, among others. He has also served as a jury member for various awards and biennials dedicated to painting, drawing, and printmaking.

In 1992 he moved to Spain, and in 1994 he taught, for the first time in Spain, a course in etching, inaugurating the Printmaking Workshop of the Goya Museum in Fuendetodos.

In 1995 he was appointed Corresponding Academician for Málaga by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary in Seville, and in 1996 he became a member of the International Academy of Modern Art in Rome.

That same year, representing Spain, he was awarded the Goya Silver Medal at the 10th Latin American Art Biennial in Mexico City.

He has developed a distinctive and highly recognizable etching technique, reinterpreting religious and literary subjects with a Baroque sensibility and an innovative approach to printmaking.

His work has received numerous awards and recognitions and is included in many public and private collections around the world.

Since 1992, the artist has lived and worked in Málaga, Spain.