The Wilson Gallery and Museum in the British town of Cheltenham displays a unique collection of paintings by a Bulgarian emigrant who lived and worked in the the UK for many years. The exhibition features works by iconic artists including Amedeo Modigliani, Vanessa Bell, Pablo Picasso, Duncan Grant, etc, Dnevnik newspaper reported.

The valuable art collection is owned by the Bulgarian Mattei Radev. In 1950, he fled from the totalitarian regime in Bulgaria and, after a perilous journey, settled in London, where he worked as a hospital orderly. There Mattei met surgeon and gay rights activist Patrick Trevor-Roper, who introduced the Bulgarian to English high society.

With the help of the British surgeon, Mattei Radev was hired at the "Robert Wellington" gallery. There, he learned how to make picture frames, working with some of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

What is now knows as the Radev Collection was started by British collectors and critics Eddie Sackville-West and Eardley Knollys. In 1991, Knolys left it to Mattei who added to the collection himself, and at one point the collection comprised 800 paintings.

Paintings that were once his property are currently on display at The Wilson gallery in Cheltenham. The exhibition will be open to visitors until the beginning of September 2024. You can find more information about the exhibition on the  website: https://www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk/event/radev.