Members of the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) recently decided that four of CEC Bank’s commercials that use the image of Romanian famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi can no longer be broadcasted on TV stations. The commercials use the sculptor’s image and a voice that is allegedly his.

“You think that Constantin Brancusi is the one speaking, but he is not,” said CNA member Rasvan Popescu, cited by local Agerpres. Brancusi's voice has never been recorded.

CNA decided to forward the decision to the TV stations that broadcasted the commercials, allowing them to respect the law and prevent a possible re- broadcasting, although the four commercials no longer appear on any TV station.

CNA says that an article of the Audiovisual Content Regulatory Code was not respected. According to this article, “audiovisual commercial communications must respect, regardless of the form and duration, the principles of child protection, the public’s correct information, the human dignity and have to ensure a fair competition”.

The authorities in the Romanian city of Targu Jiu, where Brancusi's famous works of art are exhibited, also went against the CEC Bank commercials, as they said the voice was not his, nor was the signature on the outdoor advertising for the same campaign. The archive image used in the TV commercial are is, it has been turned into a short footage, and a voice has been added to that footage.

The agency that created the campaign, Papaya Advertising, however said the campaign was a creation and that the words attributed to Brancusi were indeed his words, even if it's not his voice in the audio.

Famous Romanians: Constantin Brancusi

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