A contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici

We invite you to participate in a new prize-winning contest here on RRI, entitled “A contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici”. This contest is devoted to the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi and to one of his most outstanding disciples, Constantin Antonovici (1911-2002), who had a brilliant career in Europe and the US. Of all the artists who worked with Brancusi, Constantin Antonovici was the only one who had a letter of recommendation signed by the great sculptor. Antonovici graduated from the Fine Arts Institute in Iasi (1939) then studied for 3 years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, to further his studies for another 2 years in Tyrol. He went to Paris in 1947 where he met Brancusi together with whom he worked for 4 years.

România Internațional, 15.10.2015, 17:01

In 1953 he started working in a studio located at the ground floor of the New York-based cathedral St. John the Divine. Constantin Antonovici participated in numerous exhibitions and won sculpture competitions in Canada, Austria, France, Italy, Romania and the US. Some of his most notable public works include the marble cover on the crypt of bishop William T. Manning, a 2-meter stone cross on the western façade of St. John the Divine Cathedral and the bust of the former president Dwight Eisenhower at the White House. The central motif of Constantin Antonovici‘s work was the owl, which he represented in various ways.

We invite you to follow RRI’s broadcasts, our site www.rri.ro and our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles and give correct answers, in writing, to the contest questions. The contest will end on January 15th 2016, posting date.The Grand Prize will be a 7-day full board trip, between April 15th and 30th 2016, for 2 RRI listeners, to Gorj County, the birthplace of Constantin Brancusi.

The winners will visit the home where the artist was born and several other attractions in the area, starting with the “Avenue of Heroes” monumental ensemble in Targu Jiu, which pays tribute to the heroes of WWI and was designed and built by Constantin Brancusi. The four sculptures, the Table of Silence, the Chairs Alley, the Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column are all located on the same axis oriented from west to east, measuring 1,275 meters. Other sites included in the trip are the Saints Peter and Paul Church that was inaugurated on November 7, 1937 on the same date with the Gate of the Kiss.

The contest is organized jointly with the Constantin Brancusi Research, Documentation and Promotion Centre in Targu Jiu and other local partners. As usual you will have to provide for your own transportation to and from Romania and your visa for Romania, if necessary. For the other listeners we also have prizes and honorable mentions consisting in various objects offered by the Constantin Brancusi Centre.

And now the questions:

– Which is the central motif of Constantin Antonovici’s work?

– Of all the artists who worked with Brancusi, what makes Constantin Antonovici unique?

– For how long and where did sculptor Constantin Antonovici work his with maestro?

– What famous works by Brancusi can one find in the monumental ensemble “The Avenue of Heroes” in Targu Jiu?

Please tell us what prompted you to participate in the contest and why you are listening to RRI’s broadcasts and following RRI’s content online. Our address is: Radio Romania International, 60-64 G-ral Berthelot street, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, zip code 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro. Please send your answers by January 15th 2016, posting date. The winner of the Grand Prize will be announced soon after that date. Good luck!