Museum

The Museum was established on the occasion of the celebration of 100 years since the opening of the first School of Fine Arts in Bucharest (1864), a prestigious institution of education and an important center of culture, education, and artistic promotion.

Operating initially under the title “Didactic and Scientific Museum”, the Museum began its activity in May 1972, based on Decision no. 51,807 of 5 May 1972, following approval issued by the Ministry of Education and Instruction. At present, it bears the name “Museum of the National University of Arts in Bucharest” and functions under the direct coordination and guidance of the Rector, Cătălin Bălescu. Since 2005, following a project proposed by museum curator Nadia Ioan Fîciu, the Museum’s holdings have been reorganized into collections according to modern, competitive criteria, reintegrating a significant artistic heritage into the cultural circuit.

Operating on the basis of advanced methodological principles of art historiography and research, and organized chronologically and evolutionarily, the university art museum also serves as a space for presenting artistic potential and existing visual values—namely, the works of professors who, over time, have been masters, guides, and mentors to entire generations of artists.

At present, the Museum preserves its collections in four storage facilities organized by sections: painting, sculpture, graphic arts, ceramics, glass, metal, etc. This system of organization allows, first and foremost, for the regulation of climate control within relatively confined spaces, the maintenance of an appropriate microclimate for each group of works, and the correct typological and dimensional arrangement of the objects.

For a significant number of works from the collection, the solution adopted has been their display within University premises (buildings located at 19 General Budișteanu Street; 10 General Budișteanu Street; 22 Calea Griviței; 28 Calea Griviței): the rectorate, offices, departmental staff rooms, master’s classrooms, studios, halls, and foyers. Works suitable for outdoor display are located in the gardens of the University buildings.

The works of painting, graphic arts, sculpture, ceramics, glass, and metal are preserved in good or relatively good condition. Their status is recorded in detail in analytical inventory records and conservation files. The Museum Department collaborates with the University’s Restoration Section in cases where works present conservation issues.

The heritage of the University Art Museum currently comprises over 3,000 registered works, including significant donations made by professors.

Objectives for the Promotion of the Collections

The Museum has become a space of interaction between professors and students. Courses in art history, conservation, and restoration, as well as courses introducing historical and contemporary techniques, along with master’s and doctoral projects, are developed in direct relation to the Museum’s collections.

Through the organization of temporary exhibitions at the University gallery—using works from the Museum’s holdings—or traveling exhibitions hosted by other universities, museums, and galleries in Romania and abroad, the artistic activity of professors becomes widely known, thereby reinforcing the prestige of the National University of Arts in Bucharest.

The Museum’s heritage objects serve as sources of study and inspiration for students. Joint projects are carried out with specialized departments, and contemporary art exhibitions are organized using works from the collections. Students who receive University awards contribute, through donations alongside their professors, to the enrichment of the Museum’s artistic heritage.

The Museum promotes its collections and supplements information about its works by identifying new modes of organization through collaborative relationships with other institutions in Romania and abroad, such as the National Museum of Art of Romania, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of the University of Art and Design in Cluj, the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and the Art Museum of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, among others.

The works of art in the Museum’s collections are symbols and outcomes of human communication among artists, professors, and students. Consequently, the need to preserve and maintain the symbolic and expressive values of artworks constitutes the very raison d’être of the Museum. Conservation as a discipline is essential for obtaining, over time, data on the theoretical and practical evolution of the University of Arts. Losing the opportunity to understand our academic past would also mean losing part of our artistic identity. In the case of our Museum, the “documents”—the works of art themselves—are essential for studying the evolution of ideas, techniques, and creativity in general.

The Kalinderu Collection and the Old Collection of the School of Fine Arts

Raffaello Romanelli, Antonio Frilli, Emilio Santarelli, Ferdinando Vichi; Alfred Boucher, Clodion, Carol Storck, Karl Storck, Ion Georgescu, Constantin Bălăcescu; Louis Pierre Henriquel Dupon; Marino Fortuny; George Demetrescu Mirea, Alexandru Romano, Alexandru Bănulescu etc.

Donations Collection

Ioanid, Radu Dimiu – Menelas Simonide, Mihai Dimiu – Dimitrie Serafim, Simion Iuca, Dimitrie Cosmescu, Elga Mayer, Anca Ghiuritan – Titu Dan Elian, Vlad Aurel, Octav Gheorghe Băncilă, Elena Mac Constantinescu, Donația Râdă Horia Teodoru, Donația Vladimir Zamfirescu, Dorina Schobel, Cătălin Bălescu etc.

I.P. 1975 Collection

Dumitru Ghiață, Oscar Han, Mariano Fortuny, Marcel Chirnoagă, Brăduț Covaliu, Simona Vasiliu Chintilă, Corina Beiu Angheluță, Gheorghe Ivancenco, Puia Masichievici, Vasile Dobrian, Mariana Petrașcu.

Professors Collection

Vasile Grigore, Marius Cilievici, Florin Mitroi, Ion Bitzan, Marin Gherasim, Vasile Kazar, Ion Sălișteanu, Ion Stendl, Gheorghe Ivancenco, Traian Brădean, Geta Caragiu, Paul Vasilescu, Gheorghe Ghițescu, Alexi Florian, Gheorghe Șaru, Zamfir Dumitrescu, Constantin Blendea, Costel Badea, Vladimir Predescu, Mihai Alexandru, Alexandru Cumpăta, Vasile Celmare, Nicolae Groza etc.

Students Collection

Vladimir Zamfirescu, Sorin Dumitrescu, Harry Mavrodin, Mihai Cizmaru, Zamfir Dumitrescu, Nicolae Groza, Mircea Ciobanu, Geta Brătescu, Neculai Hilohi, Nicolae Alexi, Harry Guttman, Gheorghe Adoc, Maria Mâlita, Klara Kelemen, Mihai Sârbulescu, Petru Lucaci, Ciprian Paleologu, Dorin Colțofeanu, Daniela Codița, Oscar Naters Burger, Davis Richard, Camelia Rusu Sadovei, Virgil Mancaș, Dimitrie Gavrilean, Aurel Bulacu, Dan Erceanu, Tudor Jebeleanu, Dana Schobel, Alexandru Cumpăta, Dan Stanciu, Mircea Tohatan, Anca Simona Boieriu, Mora Leon, Eugen Alexandru Gustea etc.

Ceramics Collection

Petre Dăncilă, Virginia Cadar, Ovidiu Ionescu, Ion Grancea, Cristian Ostrovski, Ladislau Șuteu, Gheorghe Rizoiu etc.

Glass Collection

Mendumen Kemaloglu, Cristina Iliescu, Lucian Butucariu, Cătălin Hrimiuc, Anca Seftov, Cristina Duțulescu etc.

Metal Collection

Roland Negoiță, Virgil Mihăescu, Valter Paraschivescu, Coada Ștefănescu, Mihai Fălcoianu, Augustin Lucici etc.

Contemporary Art Collection

Sorin Ilfoveanu, Mircea Spătaru, Sorin Dumitrescu, Marin Gherasim, Mihai Mănescu, Vasile Gorduz, Stela Lie, Aurel Vlad, Cătălin Bălescu, Ion Grigore, Marilena Preda Sânc, Petru Lucaci, Cezar Atodiresei, George Moscal, Marcel Bunea, Florin Ciubotaru, Horea Paștina, Anca Simona Boeriu, Elena Dumitrescu, Ciprian Paleologu, Mihai Ionuț Rusen, Darie Dup, Adrian Ilfoveanu, Adrian Pîrvu, Florin Stoiciu, Nicolae Păduraru, Alexandru Rădvan, Vasile Gorduz, Nadia Ioan, Peter Jacobi etc.