Biography

Boasting a display of works in a variety of exhibitions all over the world, Vesselin Kourtev has been perfecting his art since 1987. In Bulgaria where he was born and raised, Vesselin earned a high school degree in Fine Art from the Fine Art School in Kazanlak as well as a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from the University of Veliko, Turnovo. Applying the skills and knowledge he has gained throughout his training in Fine Arts, Vesselin has worked at the National School of Stage and Film Design in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Finally, through a compilation of his previous work and experiences, Vesselin founded the Alfa Art Gallery in 2007 where he currently works as Head Art Director and Resident Artist with his wife Galina Kourteva, as they go to great extents to ensure the success of the artists and interns associated with the gallery. Today, the Alfa Art Gallery is known as a cultural hub described by Home News Tribune writer Richard Khavkine as “transcending visual art’s boundaries” that features a variety of local and international artwork of a variety of mediums, offering a warm and welcoming atmosphere to its New Brunswick community.   

Vesselin’s portfolio of work is an arsenal full of abstract and illusory pastels, often framing figural scenes. The juxtaposition of abstract landscapes with human figures ultimately coalesce to promote allegorical and playful images that assert notions of unity and the inner, more contemplative side of humans. The narrative of each image is presented through a well thought out composition bursting with color and mystification, his works described as a “formidable achievement,” by Maurice Taplinger of 1GALLERY&STUDIO

His art work is influenced by Roman architecture and Byzantine mosaics, yet resembles the abstraction of contemporary art. His art is mostly narrative in a dream like setting that explores subjects such as personal relationships and the interaction with “global dimensions” such as raising environmental awareness for climate change and the interactions between man and nature. He works with watercolor, oil paint, multi-media and involve in organic forms which he manipulates to create illusionistic backgrounds to his narrative themes. For the lifted exhibition, Kourtev uses abstraction, color and vibrancy to express and prioritizes color and form to simultaneously express his inspirations visually. He tells his story though the cycle of Interpersonal Revelations, by creating a vivid and otherworldly atmosphere through the contrast of light and colors. The combination of these factors are a representation and emphasis of the emotions and moods that we experience when we interact with the environment around us which are then manifested through the interaction of figures, recurrent symbols and landscapes present in each segment of the series. 

With honorable mention in a variety of articles, websites and books, Vesselin continues to make a lasting impact on both his local and global community through his personal artwork as well as the innumerable hours and efforts he devotes to the Alfa Art Gallery. In April 2008, he donated one of his personal masterpieces to the local Saint Peter’s Hospital in honor of the care and attention he received from them. He has also collaborated with best-selling author Virginia DeBerry and her partner Donna Grant to depict a variety of scenes representative of the essence of their novel, once again highlighting and negotiating connections between various mediums of expression, in this case writing and visual arts. In 2009, Vesselin and Galina were recognized by the Home News Tribune for using The Alfa Art Gallery as a platform to raise awareness of environmental issues and promote positive change through art. Beyond just his local community, Vesselin is recognized worldwide as an individualized artist with a unique style that has created, and continues to create a lasting impact on everyone he touches with his art and contributions to the global community.