Famous Romanian artist Adrian Ghenie will donate one of his paintings for the national fundraising campaign organized for Cumintenia Pamantului (Wisdom of the Earth) sculpture by Constantin Brancusi.

Culture minister Corina Suteu made the announcement on Facebook. The money obtained from selling the painting will go to the campaign’s accounts.

The Romanian Government managed to raise little over EUR 361,000 by end-July within the fundraising campaign organized to buy the famous sculpture. This represents about 6% of the EUR 6 million the Culture Ministry needs to raise to buy the statue from its current owners.

Romania is to pay a total of EUR 11 million for Wisdom of the Earth, with EUR 5 million coming from the state budget. The Government needs to raise the total amount by end-September.

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 and, if the campaign is unsuccessful, the donors will get their money back.

Born is 1977 in Baia Mare, northern Romania, Adrian Ghenie is one of the most talented young painters in the world. He set a new personal record in February this year, when his Sunflowers painting sold for GBP 3.1 million (USD 4.5 million) in a Sotheby’s auction in London. His previous record of GBP 1.42 million (USD 2.43 million) was registered in the summer 2014, when the artist sold his painting The Fake Rothko.

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

(Photo source: Adrian Ghenie on Facebook; photo by Sabina Dragomir)