Tracing the Life and Work of August Rozental

Introduction. The objective of this paper was to provide an overview of the life and work of a Polish artist and painter, August Rozental, who lived and worked in Bulgaria in the late 19th and early 20th century and is completely unknown in Poland. Documentation of his work may be of interest to both art historians and Polish travel agencies, the latter for marketing purposes. Material and methods. In searching for reliable information, the focus remained on historical, icono-graphic and epigraphic sources. Archival and museum collections were consulted, as were academic libraries, periodicals and internet sites (Polish, Bulgarian, Serbian and Russian). The information thus obtained was verified on the basis of three interviews with museology specialists. Results. The information was presented in terms of a description of the location and marketing product, to address the needs of cultural tourism. Consequently, the descriptions focus primarily on the artist's surviving works and their locations in monasteries in and around Sofia. Along the way, interesting information was discovered regarding the accomplishments of his brother Juliusz, a poet, and their father August, a doctor who years earlier was exiled to Siberia along with his family. Original, newly discovered documents containing personal information about August Rozental (the painter) are also presented. Conclusion. The research confirms his Polish origins and documents the current locations of his most interesting works of art. This makes them easily accessible to both specialists and tourists interested in the subject.