LASKARIDI ART GALLERY
FOUNDATION AND OWNERSHIP
Continuity of Care
Art Gallery LASKARIDI was founded in 1992 by the artist and ceramicist, a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists, Dimitrinka Karadiamandieva, and her husband Ivan Adrianov — longtime head of the National Commission for the Selection of Works for State Art Galleries, who played a key role in shaping Bulgaria’s national art collections.
The gallery is housed in the family residence of Dimitar Laskaridis, the grandfather of Dimitrinka Karadimandieva — a house preserved and inhabited by the same family for generations and officially recognized as a protected architectural monument of Old Sozopol.
Created as a private cultural space, the gallery is deeply rooted in artistic practice, family continuity, and a strong sense of responsibility toward cultural heritage.
It became the first private art gallery in Sozopol.
From the very beginning, the gallery adopted an international perspective, presenting both Bulgarian and foreign artists. Its collection has been formed through long-standing creative relationships rather than along geographical lines.
During the construction of the gallery, archaeological research revealed the remains of a medieval Christian basilica. The uncovered foundations have been preserved and remain visible in close proximity to the gallery, while the altar remains of the basilica have been kept in their authentic location within the gallery space itself.
The presence of authentic altar remains within a functioning contemporary art gallery is an exceptionally rare phenomenon and likely makes Art Gallery LASKARIDI unique of its kind worldwide.
This coexistence of a sacred site and a living artistic practice gives the gallery a distinctive atmosphere. For many visitors, the space is experienced not only as a cultural institution, but also as a place for inner contemplation and spiritual presence. Many people come here as to a shrine and testify to a feeling of light, calm, and a particular benevolent energy that envelops the space.
The merging of art with a place bearing millennia of sacred memory creates a powerful and deeply moving dialogue — between the visible and the invisible, between the creative gesture and spiritual silence.
Since 2013, the gallery has been owned and carefully directed by Adrian Adrianov — a jewelry designer who continues its development with profound respect for both the inherited past and contemporary artistic expression.
Having lived and worked in Milan (Italy), Montreal (Canada), and West Palm Beach, Florida (USA), Adrian Adrianov brings an international perspective shaped through long-term collaborations in art and design across Europe, Canada, and North America.
Under his care, Art Gallery LASKARIDI remains a space defined not by expansion or display, but by continuity, attentiveness, and inner measure — a place where art, history, and sacred presence coexist naturally and without interruption.
Adrian Adrianov
Owner