French retailer Carrefour has joined the fundraising campaign organized in Romania for the purchase of Constantin Brancusi’s Cumintenia Pamantului (Wisdom of the Earth) sculpture.

Thus, between September 1 and September 30, the retailer will donate 1% of the sales of private label products in the Carrefour hypermarkets and supermarkets in Romania.

Other companies that have got involved in the fundraising campaign are Dedeman, BRD, Uber, Enel, McDonald’s, Banca Transilvania, OMNIASIG, eMAG, UniCredit Bank Romania, Coresi, New Folder, Unlock, Media Trust, Telekom, Dexter Print, Humanitas, and Carturesti.

The Romanian Government officially launched the fundraising campaign on May 19. It has agreed to pay a total of EUR 11 million for Cumintenia Pamantului, with EUR 6 million coming from donations. The money should be raised by the end of the month.

Those interested in contributing to the campaign can donate on the campaign’s dedicated website brancusiealmeu.ro, via text message at 8833, via bank transfer, or by “virtually buying” the sculpture on emag.ro, the biggest local online retailer. Donations come with tax exemptions. So far, the Ministry of Culture managed to raise almost EUR 700,000.

Romania’s former Prime Minister Victor Ponta has recently criticized the fundraising campaign in a Facebook post titled “Cumintenia Pamantului Operation – or how the “technocrats” are making an electoral campaign on your money!” Read more about it here.

Lawyer: Romania’s Government will buy Brancusi sculpture no matter what

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com