Brancusi 140

Constantin Brancusi is one of the names that Romania takes pride in, a symbol of national artistic accomplishment. But Brancusis fame goes well beyond the countrys borders, as one of mankinds most celebrated artists.

Roxana Vasile, 19.02.2016, 14:08

Half god, half peasant, as art collector Peggy Guggenheim described him, Constantin Brancusi was born 140 years ago, on February 19, 1876, in Hobita, Gorj County, in the south of Romania. A master of perfect lines and shapes, Brancusi brought a change of paradigm in modern fine art, breaking with the classical patterns of sculpture and introducing an innovative way of retracing the past through shapes never seen before. His metal or stone works, such as “Wisdom of the Earth, “Bird in Space, “The Kiss or the “Endless Column, embody feelings, hypostases or philosophical concepts.

Since the very beginning, Brancusis novel way of opening up new insights into the essence of beings and objects, going beyond shapes and lines, did not go unnoticed, and his works immediately appealed to both private collectors and the worlds major museums and art galleries. The prestigious auction houses Christies and Sothebys have sold, over the years, many works by Constantin Brancusi. Christies, which is the largest dealer of Constantin Brancusi works, is also the record holder in terms of the price reported for the purchase of a work by the Romanian artist. Of the 15 works by Brancusi auctioned by Christies over the years, “Bird in Space, made between 1922 and 1923, was purchased in New York on May 4, 2005, for as much as 27.4 million US dollars.

But while Brancusi has left a fabulous heritage to the world, it seems that Romanians are unable to preserve it and to promote it properly. Talks are only now being held regarding the set-up of a National Brancusi Museum in Targu Jiu, near the sculptors native village. Moreover, works from Brancusis famous studio in Paris may be borrowed and hosted by the new museum in Targu Jiu, in the establishment of which experts from the Pompidou Centre may contribute.

Meanwhile, the National Heritage Institute and the Ministry of Culture will resume their efforts to get the Brancusi ensemble in Targu Jiu included on the UNESCO World Heritage list, after the Romanian state withdrew the application in 2014. Not last, Bucharest has also announced it will resume steps to purchase the work “Wisdom of the Earth, which is currently in a private collection and whose price was put at roughly 20 million euros two years ago.