Nikola Mihailov (1976 – 1960), “Nancho Popovic”

MIHAILOV, Nikola Mihailov Nenov (30.I.1876- 20.V.1960). Born in Shumen in a craftsman’s family. He studied fourth grade in Ruse, participated in the First Industrial Exhibition in Plovdiv, then studied in Sofia with Ivan Mrkvichka. Received a personal scholarship from Prince Ferdinand to study at the Academy of Arts in Munich (1895) in the class of Prof. Heinrich Knir. He lived briefly in Paris and London and returned to Munich, where he founded a private painting school. One of his students, Ida Mugler, became his wife. In 1902 he returned to Sofia, became a drawing teacher, then an artist in the Ministry of Education and court artist of H.V. Tsar Since then are the portraits of Stefan Stambolov, Petko Karavelov, Ivan Geshev, Dragan Tsankov of Ivan Vazov, Pencho Slaveykov, Kiril Hristov, Stoyan Mihailovski, Petko Yu. Todorov, Konstantin Velichkov, Georgi Benkovski, Hristo Botev, Rakovski. From 1910 until the end of his life he lived abroad. Between the two world wars, he was among the most sought-after and highly paid salon portraitists in Europe, South and North America, Australia. Achieved world fame.