Just in time for the holidays, Gallery Nevena opened its virtual doors in December with a grand opening celebration and art show hosted by Austin's Olive Interactive Design. The festivities were well attended, with about 75 friends and well wishers on hand to fête the launch of our new business with an evening of art, music, and great food. The guests enjoyed Bulgarian wine and the sounds of classical guitar as they surveyed our new collection of contemporary fine art by Nina Zlateva, Evgeni Kuzmanov, Argir Mansiev, Christo Shapkarov and other European artists.

This is the tip of a very cool iceberg.

For most visitors, the reception was their first exposure to contemporary art from Eastern Europe. Several pieces sold that evening, and feedback from guests about the art was uniformly enthusiastic. Many people commented that they were surprised and impressed by the quality of the art on display. They were even more surprised to learn that nearly all of the pieces were produced by artists from the same small city in Bulgaria. As one person told us, "This is the tip of a very cool iceberg."

The evening was a great success for the gallery, and we look forward to hosting more art shows at other venues across Austin in the year to come.