Exhibition Recovers Romanian Neo-Avant-Garde's Brief International Opening (1969-1971)
The National Museum of Art of Romania hosted the exhibition '24 Arguments: Early Encounters in Romanian Neo-Avant-Garde 1969–1971' from November 7, 2019, to February 2, 2020. This event, curated by the Institute of the Present, which was established by Ștefania Ferchedău and Alina Șerban, explored a significant cultural exchange era. It highlighted the partnerships between Romanian artists and Edinburgh's Richard Demarco Gallery during the short period of liberalization under Nicolae Ceaușescu. Artists such as Horia Bernea, Ion Bitzan, and Paul Neagu were featured. The exhibition employed an 'exhibition-file' approach, showcasing timelines from 1965 to 1971 and notable works like Peter and Ritzi Jacobi's tapestries and Ovidiu Maitec's sculptures, while addressing the Western perception of Eastern European art and transnational art history.
Key facts
- Exhibition '24 Arguments: Early Encounters in Romanian Neo-Avant-Garde 1969–1971' ran November 7, 2019–February 2, 2020 at The National Museum of Art of Romania.
- Focused on cultural exchanges between Romanian artists and Edinburgh's Richard Demarco Gallery during 1969-1971.
- Organized by Institute of the Present, founded in 2017 by Ștefania Ferchedău and Alina Șerban.
- Featured 15+ artists including Horia Bernea, Ion Bitzan, Paul Neagu, Sigma Group, and Peter & Ritzi Jacobi.
- Centered on Demarco's 1971 exhibition 'Romanian Art Today' at Edinburgh International Festival's Fringe section.
- Used 'exhibition-file' format with artworks, timelines, documents, and archival materials from Demarco's archive.
- Timelines covered 1965-1971, a period of relative liberalization under Ceaușescu after 1965.
- Many artists emigrated after 1971, including Paul Neagu (UK, 1970), Peter & Ritzi Jacobi (Germany, 1970), and Diet Sayler (Germany, 1973).
Entities
Artists
- Zsuzsa László
- Horia Bernea
- Ion Bitzan
- Liviu Ciulei
- Radu Dragomirescu
- Șerban Epure
- Pavel Ilie
- Ritzi Jacobi
- Peter Jacobi
- Ovidiu Maitec
- Paul Neagu
- Miriam Raducanu
- Diet Sayler
- Radu Stoica
- Vladimir Șetran
- Ștefan Bertalan
- Constantin Flondor
- Doru Tulcan
- Mădălina Dan
- Anatol Vieru
- Ion Grigorescu
- Edward Gage
- Georges Boudaille
- Radu Varia
- Cordelia Oliver
- Klaus Groh
- Henry Moore
- David Hockney
- Piotr Piotrowski
- Klara Kemp-Welch
- Raša Todosijević
- Edit Sasvári
- Sándor Hornyik
- Hedvig Turai
- Maria-Alina Asavei
- Ileana Pintilie
- Jérôme Bazin
- Pascal Dubourg Glatigny
- Mel Gooding
Institutions
- ARTMargins Online
- The National Museum of Art of Romania
- Institute of the Present
- Richard Demarco Gallery
- Romanian Union of Artists
- State Committee for Art and Culture
- Sigma Group
- Group 111
- Viktor Oppenheim Haus Collection
- Ovidiu Șandor Collection
- Triade Foundation Collection
- Paul Neagu Estate
- Ivan Gallery
- DACS
- Art Encounters
- Central European University
- British Library
- National Galleries of Scotland
- Pelmuș Collections
- Richard Demarco Archive Collection
- The Scotsman
- Arta magazine
- Plural
- Third Text
- MIT Press
- Central European University Press
- Thames & Hudson
- Idea
- Edinburgh International Festival
- Paris Biennial of Young Artists
- Venice Biennial
- Nicolae Grigorescu Art Academy
Locations
- Bucharest
- Romania
- Edinburgh
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
- Czechoslovakia
- Constanța
- Germany
- United States
- Italy
- Switzerland
- Timisoara
- Hungary
- Budapest
- Poland
- Yugoslavia
- Eastern Europe
- Western Europe
- East European countries
- London
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —