Monumental Copper Portrait Relief, Sofia, 1978 – Georgi Dimitrov (1882–1949)
Price: £POA
A substantial repoussé copper portrait relief depicting Georgi Dimitrov, produced in Sofia in October 1978.
At 51 × 46 cm, this is an imposing sculptural object. Dimitrov’s profile is reduced to powerful geometric planes, with the brow, nose, jaw and swept-back hair projecting strongly from the copper ground — a visual language characteristic of monumental Eastern European art and design of the period.
Dimitrov was one of Bulgaria’s most prominent twentieth-century political figures and became internationally famous during the 1933 Leipzig Trial following the Reichstag fire. Accused by the Nazi authorities of involvement, he conducted a forceful defence, famously confronting Hermann Göring in court, and was ultimately acquitted. He later headed the Communist International and became Bulgaria’s first communist prime minister after the Second World War.
An original engraved brass presentation plaque, dated Sofia, October 1978, survives at lower right. The naturally patinated copper relief is presented within a later bespoke black-finished metal tray frame.
A striking intersection of political history, Cold War material culture and Eastern European monumental design.
Subject: Georgi Dimitrov (1882–1949)
Date: October 1978
Place: Sofia, Bulgaria
Medium: Repoussé/worked copper with engraved brass presentation plaque
Artist/Maker: Unidentified
Dimensions: approximately 51 × 46 cm
Presentation: Bespoke black-finished metal tray frame
