Vera Nedkova was a Bulgarian painter, sculptor and graphic artist. She used different art technics in her works, such as neoclassicism, New Objectivity movement (Neue Sachlichkeit), expressionism and even some elements of abstract art.
Background
Vera Nedkova, born as Vera Todorova Nedkova on November 16, 1908 in Skopje situated in Ottoman Empire by the time (now, in the Republic of Macedonia). She was a daughter of a diplomat Todor Nedkov, who took part in the preparation of the peace treaty after The World War I while he met a French writer Romain Rolland. They had been in correspondence for many years.
In view of Nedkova’s father profession, the family often moved from one place to another, living in such cities as Edirne (Turkey), Thessaloniki (Greece), Budapest (Hungary), Bern (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria) and Bucharest (Romania).
Education
Travelling around the world with her diplomat father, Vera Nedkova learned many foreign languages.
In 1923, she entered the Bulgarian Academy of Fine Arts and studied there on painting department under the tutelage of professor Nicola Marinov. A year later, Nedkova became a student of Vienna Academy of Fine Arts which she graduated from in 1930 with a degree in painting restoration.
The following year, Vera Nedkova moved to Italy where she spent nine months and pursued her training in different museums and galleries, including Florence.
Career
Vera Nedkova received her first good marks from Austrian critics on the early paintings created during the stint in Italy. The works were represented at her debut exhibition in Vienna in 1933.
The following year, Nedkova came back to Bulgaria where in April the artist had her personal show presenting to the public her paintings and some bronze sculptures. The curator of New Bulgarian Art department in the Bulgarian National Art Gallery, Nicola Mavrodinov, wrote a positive review on the exhibition.
During 1930s, the central subjects of Nedkovas’ artworks were portraits of peasants, fishermen and compositions with figures which were exhibited at the artist’s second solo-show in 1939.
At the beginning of 1940, she demonstrated to public the works painted during her trip to Macedonia. Unfortunately, all of them were destroyed during the Second World War while the bombing of Sofia.
In post war period, Vera Nedkova gained a position of a medieval art restorer at the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria which she had held till 1961.
In the 1950s, the artworks of Nedkova, as of her many colleagues, were disfavoured by communist policy. The artist was rehabilitated after 1963.
At the end of her life, Vera Nedkova’s style became more festive and free.
Personality
Vera Nedkova was a polyglot speaking many european languages.