ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Curtea Veche Gallery in Bucharest Transforms from Bookshop to Contemporary Art Hub

exhibition · 2026-04-19

Since the early 1980s, Marius Nicolescu has been at the helm of the Curtea Veche gallery in Bucharest, which began as a second-hand bookstore. In the summer of 2001, he repurposed half of the establishment into a contemporary art space, launching with a two-week live exhibition by painter Virgil Parghel. Following this, the gallery showcased video art by Vasile Muresan Murivale and a group exhibition of Romanian graphic illustrations in 2001. Notable solo exhibitions included works by Mihai Sarbulescu, Horea Pastina, and Horia Bernea, whose posthumous display in 2000 revealed previously unseen spiritual pieces. In early 2002, the Prolog group presented a drawing and watercolor exhibition, making the gallery a bridge between traditional and modern Romanian art in a historic part of Bucharest.

Key facts

  • Curtea Veche gallery in Bucharest transformed from a bookshop to a contemporary art space in summer 2001.
  • Marius Nicolescu has coordinated the gallery since the early 1980s, blending books with art exhibitions.
  • The first exhibition featured painter Virgil Parghel performing live for two weeks in 2001.
  • Vasile Muresan Murivale held a video art exhibition and digitally recorded gallery shows.
  • Solo exhibitions were held for Mihai Sarbulescu, Horea Pastina, and Horia Bernea, with Bernea's posthumous display in 2000.
  • Horia Bernea's paintings are considered 'post-Byzantine' with postmodernist religious themes.
  • In early 2002, the Prolog group exhibited drawings and watercolors, including works by Paul Gherasim and Constantin Flondor.
  • The gallery is in a historic Bucharest area that escaped Ceausescu's 1980s demolition campaign.

Entities

Artists

  • Marius Nicolescu
  • Virgil Parghel
  • Vasile Muresan Murivale
  • Mihai Sarbulescu
  • Horea Pastina
  • Horia Bernea
  • Paul Gherasim
  • Constantin Flondor
  • Ioana Batranu
  • Ion Grigorescu

Institutions

  • Curtea Veche gallery
  • Fine Art Academy in Bucharest
  • The Romanian Peasant Museum
  • Prolog group

Locations

  • Bucharest
  • Romania

Sources