The Romanian Cultural Institute is celebrating Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi with a series of events at its headquarters in New York, Paris, Vienna, Budapest, and Chisinau.

The Brancusi Day, which marks the birth date of the Romanian artist, became a national holiday last year, when the Chamber of Deputies passed a bill deciding on this new celebration. Before this, the Senate had rejected the proposal for a Brancusi Day, arguing that a National Culture Day already exists on January 15, and all personalities of Romanian culture can be celebrated on that occasion.

The Romanian Cultural Institute in Budapest is organizing on February 17 a lecture on The Influence of Brancusi in the Art and Architecture of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. The lecture will be delivered by Timisoara-born sculptor Ingo Glass. Glass authored a book on the same topic.

A screening of the BBC documentary Tony Cragg on Constantin Brancusi takes place at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna on February 17, starting 18:00. The film features British sculptor and 1988 Turner award winner Tony Cragg as he travels through Romania to find the space that inspired Brancusi in his work. The film also showcases the similarities between Brancusi’s work and that of Auguste Rodin, his mentor.

At the same time, the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York is organizing an event titled Brancusi: The Visionary, on February 17, at 19:00. The special guest will be Doina Lemny, a curator at the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou in Paris. She will deliver a lecture on Brancusi: The Art of Carving One's Own Image. The lecture is meant to highlight the role of the sculptor as his own “artistic manager,” and will be followed by a screening of the documentary Brancusi – L’ensemble sculptural de Târgu Jiu en Roumanie. The New York even will also cover an exhibition of books dedicated to the work and personality of Constantin Brancusi.

The Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris will mark the Brancusi day with an event titled The Secret Brancusi: The Man, in the Shadow of the Artist. The event will take place on February 22, starting 20:00 and will included a screening of Ionut Teianu’s film Looking for the Father, and a debate featuring the director and curator Doina Lemny.

In Chisinau, the Romanian Cultural Institute is opening on February 19, starting 16:00, the exhibition Constantin Brancusi – Bird in Space. The same night, a pantomime, music and poetry performance will celebrate the Romanian sculptor.

The Romanian Cultural Institute in Bucharest will host a round table on the volume The Hermeneutics Treaty of Abstract Sculpture, authored by Matei Stircea-Craciun.

Meanwhile, Romania’s purchase of Brancusi’ sculpture The Wisdom of the Earth has not yet been clarified. Last year, the Romanian Government tried to buy the sculpture via a public fundraising subscription. The authorities agreed to pay EUR 11 million for the sculpture, with EUR 5 million coming from the state budget, and the rest from donations. However, they managed to raise only EUR 1.3 million until the end of the campaign, in September 2016. In October of last year, the Ciolos government decided to come up with a bill granting an additional amount from the state budget to reach the EUR 11 million needed for buying the Brancusi sculpture. The Ciolos government asked the Parliament to approve the acquisition, but this didn’t happen.

Romanian Constantin Brancusi sculptures inspire French fashion designer’s new collection

Controversy on Romania’s purchase of Brancusi sculpture continues as PSD leader wants to cancel it

editor@romania-insider.com