Ivan Blazhev (Bulgarian sculptor. 1926 - 2006) Stele with embracing couple Bronze, brown patina. Monogr. "IB" in ligature. Strongly stylised, contemporary depiction between figuration and abstraction with rough, roughly structured areas in which the couple only becomes recognisable from the context. Blazhev completed his sculpture studies under Marko Markov at the Academy of Arts in Sofia in 1950 and became a member of the sculptors' section of the Association of Bulgarian Artists in 1950 or 1951. Since the 1950s he has become known above all for his numerous, important, sometimes monumental monuments, in particular to the Bulgarian poet and revolutionary fighter Pejo Jaworow. H. 59.5 cm. Provenance: Dissolution of the estate of a South German private collection - part I. Brown patinated bronze. Monogrammed "IB".