Pencho Georgiev

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Pencho Georgiev (Bulgarian: Пенчо Георгиев; 1 February 1900 – 2 April 1940) was a Bulgarian painter, scenographer, and illustrator, best known for his work in children’s books.

Biography
- He was born in Vratsa. His father died in the First Balkan War when Pencho was twelve.
- After World War I, he moved to Sofia to study arts and crafts.
- In 1925 he graduated from the National Academy of Art with a degree in Applied and Decorative Arts and began working as a set designer.
- His first project was The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky at the Sofia Opera. He then worked at the Dohodno Zdanie (State Theater) in Ruse.

Paris period
- In 1929 he moved to Paris, where he copied the Old Masters and made woodcuts and etchings.
- He worked with the Russian painter Konstantin Korovin to create set designs for several Russian operas. He stayed in Paris until 1932.

Return to Bulgaria
- After returning home, he illustrated books, designed interiors, and created more than thirty stage decorations for the Opera and the Ivan Vazov National Theatre.
- His paintings were mostly in watercolor and pastel. He also illustrated some of Maxim Gorky’s first works published in Bulgarian.
- He participated in many exhibitions, including the Salon d’Automne and the Milan Triennale.

Death
- In 1940, while working on decorations for Salammbô at the National Theater, he slipped and fell to his death down an elevator shaft on stage.

Selected works
- Temporary Encampment in Paris (1931)
- All Soul’s Day (1927)
- Parisian Neighborhood (1931)
- In Front of the Mosque (1930s)