“Mr Ruf has a long-standing commitment to collecting contemporary art. To this day, he continues to be a tireless supporter of projects, artists, initiatives and exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad,” said Martina Yordanova, the exhibition’s curator, in an interview with Radio Bulgaria.

This commitment did not cease when his term as ambassador ended in 2000. In 2007, he established the Gaudenz B. Ruf Award for New Bulgarian Art, presented annually until 2011. From 2012 to 2019, the funds were redirected to support Bulgarian artists and contemporary art initiatives at home and abroad.

One of Ruf’s closest collaborators and fellow enthusiasts over the years has been art historian Maria Vassileva. Yordanova credits Vassileva as ‘the main reason he decided to donate part of his collection to Bulgaria’. This is his second major donation to a Bulgarian institution; the first was to the Sofia City Art Gallery in 2014.

The current exhibition, 'The Art of Collecting Time', showcases the complete donation that Mr Gaudenz Ruf made to the Bulgarian National Gallery around two years ago. It includes works by 21 artists, 12 of whom are Bulgarian, and features over 150 pieces created between 1987 and 2019. Several of the works are part of series. The artists are diverse in terms of both generation and style, but they all work within the field of contemporary art.

Gaudenz Ruf has often described his time in Bulgaria at the end of the 20th century as being in the right place at the right time: a period of sweeping transformation across the country’s political and social landscape which left a clear imprint on its art. In keeping with the spirit of the era, the works are primarily conceptual, placing meaning above aesthetics.

"Many of these pieces carry a powerful political and social charge, drawn from our recent history," notes curator Martina Yordanova. 'I believe this was part of what sparked Mr Ruf’s deep admiration for Bulgarian art, and why he continues to support it even today.'

Perhaps the most fitting word to describe the collection as a whole is 'dynamic'. It is a dynamic era, told through the artworks themselves. Visitors can sense the taste and curatorial instinct of Gaudenz Ruf, and his personal connection to each piece in the exhibition.”

In September, the National Gallery team is planning to host a public talk and a personal meeting with collector and patron Gaudenz Ruf.