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Anka IGNATOVA: The Museum of Socialist Art in Bulgaria and its Public Response 387
elections”, but “it is an exposition, spirit, problematic fields”, the ruling party is asked the
following questions: how have the exhibited works been chosen; who has defined these
exhibits as art and on the basis of what criteria; why no one speaks about a competition
for a concept and governing of the museum. Finding it intolerable “to turn museums into
the next instrument of the authorities for imposing ‘a matrix’”, the Union of the
Democratic Forces suggests that “a real museum of totalitarism should be established
which to remind of all the aspects of this regime and to honour the memory of all the
spoiled human lives” 17 .
Though with a certain delay, on 11.10.2011, organizations of the repressed in Bulgaria
expressed their resentment at the opening of the Museum of Socialist Art. In a protest
declaration against the returning of the communist symbolism in the country, signed by
the chairmen of the Union of the Repressed by the Communist Terror in Bulgaria, the
Union of the Repressed in Bulgaria, “Istina” (Truth) Union, and “Goryani” (Guerillas)
Union it is pointed out that instead of ridiculing the criminal communist regime by the
Museum exposition, the effect of exaltation of the communist leaders and their acts is
achieved while great part of the exhibited works were created to the orders and under the
pressure of that same regime. The repressed suggested that the name of the museum
should be changed and a hall should be equipped as part of the exhibition displaying the
violence committed by the communists. They express their disagreement with the
assertions of the ruling circles on the occasion of the opening of the Museum that the
transition period has come to its end and thus this historical page is closed. According to
them this could happen only after the other part of this page is read when a Museum of
Communist Violence is opened, and when this aspect of our history is also studied by the
students 18 .
In a non conventional way the political party “Order, Legality, Justice” also reacted
against the Museum of Socialist Art and the government’s policy. On 19.10.2011, its
candidates for municipal councillors in Sofia donated to the Museum as a “valuable
exhibit” a sculptural portrait of the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov which they put at the
base of the pedestal with the bust of Todor Zhivkov. In this way they expressed their
protest against “the crazy idea to substitute history”. According to them the sculptural
portrait of the miserable “rescuer of socialism” Boyko Borisov was quite appropriate to
mark the one-month existence of this museum. They suggested that a new section should
be established in it – “Non socialist art”, in which this piece of art would be the greatest
attraction of the museum exhibition 19 .
Some months later, on 23.03.2012 – a day for parliamentary control at the National
Assembly, the representative of the Union of the Democratic Forces Mihail Mihaylov
made an interpellation about the building and functioning of the Museum of Socialist Art.
Many of the concrete questions in it (as for example about the reasons for the changing of
the museum’s name as well as about the concept confirmed by a resolution of the
government, the criteria for the selection of the works, the expenditure for its
maintenance, etc.) remained without exact answers. What became clear from the words of
the minister of culture was that for its six-month existence the museum realized an
income from tickets and souvenirs to the total value of 14 000 leva which were enough to
meet its current expenses while the Ministry of culture paid for the electricity and water
consumption, and the security guard. In contrast to the noisily announced 1,5 million
Euro from the budged of the Ministry of culture put into the building of the museum, the
government kept silent for the means for its maintenance. Making once again public his