Yakim Kazandziev Banchev, born on 6th August 1884 in Lovech, Bulgaria. Well know Bulgarian military painter, who visited Macedonia with the Bulgarian army during Balkan Wars. Studied art before 1904 at the Fine Art Academy “Alberina” in Тorino, Italy, together with some leading Bulgarian painters like Nikola Ganushev and Maksim Tzankov. Winner of multiple medals during the study years, including golden medal for annual painting competition. Banchev went to USA for painting specialization. Known for his nude act paintings and exceptional figurative technique. His paintings are in the Museum of Military History in Sofia.
One of his Macedonian works titles as The Valley of Vardar” is in the collection of the fine art gallery “Values” in Sofia.
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A good item for your own Macedonian collection
Here is one tip for everyone who wants to start his own collection of Macedonia-related art and photographs from the period 1850-1950: a German book