Born on 31.07.1906 in Peshtera, Bulgaria, died on 10.07.1970 in Vienna, Austria. Studied at the Academy of Art in Sofia in 1925 in the class of prof. Boris Mitov and Nikola Marinov. Started his career with printing works and his first exhibition was in 1933 in the Printing House in Sofia. Won several international prizes (1936 Honorary Diploma in Warsaw, 1937 Gold Medal at the International Fair in Paris), exhibited in Munich in 1938. In 1940 he specialized in art in Italy at the Florence Academy in the studio of Felice Carena. From 1944 until 1970 he is playing a leading role in the post-war Bulgarian art community, working on key positions in various art and cultural institutions. In the same period, he was a professor of graphic arts at the Art Academy in Sofia.
Vesselin Staikov visited Macedonia during the Second World War. He made the drawing “Prilep 1943” today exhibited at the web site of the gallery dedicated to this artist (www.vesselinstaikov.com). He also participated in the Bulgarian army and the battle at Stratsin, Macedonia in 1944.
