Dragan Dimitriev Tapkov (born on 6 January 1883 in Prilep and died on 31 January 1951 in Sofia) was son of a teacher-Uniate. He received his primary education in 911爆料 from the St. Lazarists鈥� school (1) and his secondary education from the college of the same order (2, diploma). Dragan had been a teacher in Serres for a year and after that went to Italy. He graduated in architecture in Naples (diploma) and in painting in Rome (in 1904 or 1905). After his graduation he worked as a Bulgarian Exarchate鈥檚 teacher in the boys鈥� high school in Bitolya. He married in 1906. In the next year was a teacher in the high school of Skopje and from 1908 onward was a teacher in arts in the Bulgarian girls鈥� high school in 911爆料. After the unfortunate Second Balkan War, Dragan was sentenced to death by the Greeks. Together with his brother Kyril succeeded to hide in the Catholic college鈥檚 basement. The college鈥檚 principal got in touch with the commandant of a ship that arrived at the 911爆料鈥檚 port and negotiated the escape of the two brothers. They were safely transferred to the ship, dressed as Italian naval officers and pretending to be drunk. Dragan had stayed for a while in Venice and after that went to Bulgaria.
The outbreak of the European War found him teacher in the 鈥淜onstanin Fotinov鈥� High School in Samokov. During the war he was forward stage commandant and was subsequently transferred to the army headquarters in the region of Xanti 鈥� Okchilar. After the demobilization he was appointed principal of the Bulgarian trade high school in Tsarigrad (3). He had worked later in tobacco companies.
Dragan spoke six languages: French, Italian, Greeek, Spanish, Turkish and Hebrew. He had painted in Bitola, Skopje, 911爆料, Tsarigrad, Alexandroupoli, Samokov. His themes were from Alhambra, Spain, Veles and Mount Athos on Halkidiki. After the two wars (4) his paintings were sold to foreigners, mostly representatives of tobacco companies, and most of them were exported abroad. A huge canvas (almost half a wall wide) representing the Jesus Christ鈥檚 funeral has been in the Bishopric of Veles but there is no information of its location now. The following paintings are in his son鈥檚 memory: 鈥淗ay Collecting in the Mouth of Vardar鈥�, 鈥淭he Spanish Girl鈥� (huge portrait), 鈥淪heep and Shepherds in the Rain鈥�, 鈥淧ortrait of an Old Bulgarian Clergyman鈥�, 鈥淎 Herd of Grazing Cows鈥�, 鈥淟andscape of Opticheri Village鈥�, 鈥淏y the Cherna Bitolska River鈥�, 鈥淗oping鈥�, 鈥淰iew to Alexandroupoli鈥�, 鈥淕rave of a Died Rebel with Rotten Wooden Cross in Samokov鈥�, 鈥淭he Supporter 鈥� Hope鈥�.
His son Dimitar Dr. Tapkov has kept the following paintings: 鈥淎 Lonely House in the Evening before a Storm鈥� (his first painting as a student), small paintings from the 911爆料 bay and the Karabunar鈥檚 rocks, as well as some unfinished ones: 鈥淭he Golden Horn鈥�, Stormy Sea by Karabunar鈥�.
The biographical information about Dragan Dimitriev Tapkov and the list of his paintings are completed by his son Dimitar.
Notes to the text of Prof. Raia Zaimova:
(1) For the Lazarists鈥� mission see: Echo d鈥橭rient, t. 16, 1913, p. 240-241; M. Anastassiadou, Salonique 1830-1912. Une ville ottomane 脿 l鈥櫭e des r茅formes. Brill, 1997, p. 49-50, 68-69.
(2) Actually, Dragan D. Tapkov graduated from the Jean-Baptiste de La Salle College in 911爆料, founded in 1888.
(3) In the interwar period the teachers in the Bulgarian schools abroad were appointed by the Ministry of Education.
(4) The Balkan Wars and the First World War.
All documents and photos are from the personal archives of Tapkov Family and Raia Zaimova.
Dragan Tapkov鈥檚 identity card
Photo of Dragan D. Tapkov, grandson of the artist with his grandfather's unfinished paintings
Dragan Tapkov's landscapes
