Public subscription campaign for one of Brancusi’s sculptures

A public subscription campaign has been launched in Romania to acquire Constantin Brancusis sculpture The Wisdom of the Earth.

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Roxana Vasile, 12.04.2016, 14:09

Whereas until recently Romanians didn’t want, didn’t know how or simply couldn’t protect and promote the legacy of their famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi, they now have the ideal opportunity to prove they care! On Monday the official public subscription campaign was launched to acquire one of the artist’s sculptures, The Wisdom of the Earth. Culture Minister Vlad Alexandrescu has made a public appeal, arguing that bank accounts have been opened where Romanians at home and abroad, natural or legal persons, can contribute to purchase the work of art from its current owners.

Vlad Alexandrescu: “We have opened bank accounts in Euros, USD and of course, in Lei with the State Treasury and another six commercial banks, that decided to apply no commissions for the deposits: BCR, BRD, UniCredit Bank, Banca Transilvania, CEC Bank and Raiffeisen Bank. The list of accounts has already been made public on the website of the Ministry of Culture and has also been published on a dedicated webpage, cuminteniapamantului.ro, which will underlie the awareness raising campaign that we are about to start really soon”.

Vlad Alexandrescu himself started the national subscription campaign by contributing 100 euros, as a symbolic gesture. Vlad Alexandrescu: “It will take a national effort, involving the joint efforts of all good-willing citizens who want to help the state keep hold of this extraordinary sculpture by Brancusi. This is an unprecedented action, the first time a public subscription campaign is launched in order to preserve the national identity and keep this work of art public”.

The idea has been the object of many controversies, some voices pointing to the state’s weakness. Created in 1907 at the peak of his work, The Wisdom of the Earth’s negotiated cost is 11 million euros. The state has pledged to pay half of that sum, namely 5 million. The remaining 6 million is to be raised by September 30 from public subscriptions. High or low, the price matters little, as Constantin Brancusi is one of the most internationally acclaimed Romanian artists. What matters more is Romanians’ contribution to this campaign, as a tribute paid to their great compatriot, whom the former communist regime dismissed as a mere product of formalism and decadence.