Peter Lazarov, a Bulgarian artist who already has work in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the US Library of Congress, is, as of January 14 2009, also included in the collection of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium.

Sofia-based GreenCat Gallery, which has represented Lazarov in Bulgaria and which presented his piece to the Plantin-Moretus, announced the honour recently. A graphic artist, Lazarov has been based in The Netherlands since 1990.

The Plantin-Moretus Museum has been called one of the most renowned printing and graphics museums in the world. It has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2005.

 The work that was presented to the Plantin Moretus was a printing block and the first print of an invitation for GreenCat Gallery's Frans Masereel exhibition that took place in Sofia in November 2008. One hundred invitations were printed.

The ceremony at the Plantin-Moretus Museum on January 14 saw the presence of Toon Streppel, head of office of the European Parliament in Bulgaria; Kurt Houbrechts and Nadia Maneva, the directors and owners of GreenCat Gallery; Christo Georgiev, Bulgarian ambassador in Brussels; Marijke Hellemans, curator of the museum; Peter De Wilde, chief of staff for the ministry of culture from the city of Antwerp; Odette Peterink, public relations officer of the Plantin-Moretus Museum, and Guy Hutsebaut, museum typographical expert.

Lazarov, a member of the British Society of Wood Engravers, counts among his influences Bulgarian tradition and crafters like Dürer, Rembrandt, Escher and Willem De Kooninck. Following tutelage under master papermaker Sensei Fujimori-san, Lazarov began making his own paper using ancient Japanese techniques. He created PEPELpress in 2002 to create and publish fine press limited-edition handmade art books.