The exhibition Brâncuși - Romanian Sources and Universal Perspectives, a highlight of the Timișoara Capital of Culture program and the most extensive retrospective dedicated to Constantin Brâncuși in Romania, attracted a total of over 130,000 visitors. The city's National Museum of Art hosted the event for four months between September 30, 2023, and January 28, 2024.

According to the organizers, ticket requests exceeded the capacity of the exhibition space, so the number of visitors had to be limited.

Organizing the exhibition cost roughly EUR 1.22 million, but the event brought in revenues of almost EUR 1.36 million, of which EUR 900,000 was from tickets and EUR 459,000 was from private sponsorships attracted by the exhibition partners. The revenue from tickets and the surplus from sponsorships went entirely to the National Museum of Art in Timișoara.

"We are closing the Brâncuși chapter, but we are committed to furthering the understanding and continued appreciation of art. A central element of the Timișoara 2023 Program – European Capital of Culture, the Brâncuși exhibition is the starting point for Timișoara, Capital of Visual Arts," said Alin Nica, president of the Timiș County Council. 

Ovidiu Șandor, president of the Art Encounters Foundation, commented: "The Brâncuși exhibition in Timișoara showed two extremely important things that will form the basis of future cultural events in Romania. On the one hand, it was an example of successful collaboration between Romanian cultural entities and some of the world's great museums, including Centre Pompidou and Tate Modern. On the other hand, we are delighted and overwhelmed by the public's reaction to the exhibition, the excitement felt among visitors, and how this exhibition has widened the public's appetite for quality culture. It is a sign that Romania is entering a healthy logic, in which culture becomes a habit and not an exception."

The exhibition was also a great opportunity for schoolchildren to discover the work of Brâncuși. Over 26,000 pupils from more than 900 school visited the art event from Timișoara and 26 other cities in the country, 18 municipalities and villages in the region, as well as from abroad, from countries such as Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

A Romanian-English bilingual catalog coordinated by Doina Lemny, the exhibition's curator, was born from the event, bringing together 190 images of Constantin Brâncuși's sculptures, drawings, and photographs, alongside documentary images. Published by the Art Encounters Foundation, the catalog also includes 16 original texts signed by Romanian, French, and English art historians. It can be purchased from the most important bookstores in Timișoara and the country.

Moreover, the National Bank of Romania launched a silver coin dedicated to Constantin Brâncuși, issued in a run of 5,000 copies. It has the portrait of the great artist on the front and the building of the Timișoara National Museum of Art on the reverse. It can be purchased through the BNR branches in Bucharest, Timișoara, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, and Constanța at RON 547,40, starting Tuesday, January 30.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Muzeul National de Arta Timisoara)