Bulgarian sculptor and former Speaker of Parliament Vezhdi Rashidov dies
Renowned sculptor and former Speaker of Bulgaria’s National Assembly Vezhdi Rashidov has died at the age of 74, it was confirmed on November 6.
Rashidov was born on December 14 1951 in Dimitrovgrad.
In 1970, he graduated from the Iliya Petrov Art School of Fine Arts in Sofia, and in 1978, he graduated from the Sculpture Department at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia.
From 1978, Rashidov participated in national and international exhibitions, biennials and symposiums.
He presented his works at the International Sculpture Biennale in Ravenna and the World Art Fair in Basel.
Among his solo exhibitions are those at Unesco in Paris in 1989, in Tokyo in 1992 and at the Oscar Wilde Museum in Dublin in 2006. In addition to sculptures, he exhibited drawings and watercolours.
Among his awards are the Vatican’s Dante Alighieri Gold Medal in 1981, the first prize at the International Biennial of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo in 1983, and the Vera grand prize for sculpture at the “Traditions and Modernity” International Festival in Moscow in 2009.
Rashidov was awarded the Order of the Stara Planina with Ribbon and is a Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He was an honorary citizen of Sofia, Dimitrovgrad, and Kurdzhali, among other cities. His works are held in Bulgarian galleries and in collections abroad, including the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Rashidov was Minister of Culture in the first and second Boiko Borissov governments. He held the post from July 27 2009 to March 13 2013 and from November 7 2014 to January 27 2017.
Rashidov was a member of parliament in seven parliaments. On October 21 2022, he was elected Speaker of the 48th National Assembly and held the position until the end of his term in February 2023.
In the 49th National Assembly, he was an MP from Borissov’s GERB-UDF. On September 1 2023, his resignation was approved by Parliament.
