Visual Arts

The Word`s Shadow Exhibition and The Betrothal of Gifts I first met Georges Banu in the “words’ shadow”, in a theatre - Theatre de la Ville, in Paris, where Lucian Pintilie was rehearsing in the 80’s. Our friendship was sealed spiritually, in time, by the means of a symbolical gift, offered intuitively, then – a drawing of mine representing an injured Jesus, which Georges spontaneously adopted. Much later, in his writings, I read his statement about the meaning and the sense of offering a gift, with which I agree: “true gifts reflect knowledge about the other, how aware we are of their desires and expectations.” This exhibition and event is simultaneously meant as a gift in memory of Georges Banu, for everything that he has generously offered us along the way, and a gift that I am presenting likewise to all actors, theatre-makers, artists and lovers of the Arts. The “words’ shadow” is, in fact, the trace that words leave upon reality – “the ultimate reality that remains after the theatrical act” (“About oblivion”). The shadow of the words being the ulterior projection in our memory, as well as in the visible space that contains us – the visual outcome, the material projection of our spoken words. In the monumental hall of the Rotonda and the introductory space of the foyer, part of the National Theater, I intend to reproduce a sensitive space, to create an “installation” of Georges Banu’s living creative experience, pertaining to the visual themes that he developed  and referred to, throughout his writings, based on a very subjective and affective approach, rather than a chronological one. Georges Banu said that he found himself mirrored “in the heteroclite image of Arcimboldo’s portraits”. Thus, I am proposing, beyond deconstruction, to recompose a portrait based in his own subjectivity, taking its inception from the themes that were highlighted by Georges Banu: “The Curtain” (or the fissure of the world) as a metaphor. “In painting, as in theatre, the curtain breaks the unity. It reveals as much as it hides from one’s eye…it separates the actor from the spectator, hides the secret, while nourishing the expectation of an ever possible revelation”; “The Door”(as intimate geography), revealing the exterior as well as our interiority, its symbolic valences; “Nocturnes”, the notion of darkness and “black” in painting and theatre, the relation about shade and its projection in time, the return to light; “ The human being seen from behind”, the loneliness of man or his hidden eye, the dialectics between the expression of the back and the face, semantic ambivalences; “Wounded objects”- time’s passage upon things, the charge on their emotional value, our dialogue with the objects. I’m inviting actors from the National Theatre, critics and theatre professionals  from here or afar, who came to know Georges Banu, to intervene by spoken word and interaction with the space that has been thus created, revisiting fragments from the roles that they have already interpreted -- possibly plays and roles for which Banu had a predilection -- or pieces of his texts, encouraging every actor or participant to choose what is more representative for himself and what better defines his message. Miruna Budisteanu

Exhibition with the works of painter Lucian Liciu (1968 - 2022)* A new exhibition opens in the exhibition space of the Media Foyer within NTB, starting from March 7, 2023. This time it is a posthumous retrospective dedicated to a talented painter from Olt, Lucian Liciu, who died at the age of 54, in full creative force. This is how Dr. Marius Tiță, the art critic who has assumed the task of curating this exhibition, which will be opened on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 6 pm, in the Media Foyer of the NTB ( the wing facing the Grand Hotel), evokes the artist: "In March 2022, it was with infinite sadness that I learned that the painter Lucian Liciu, a talented artist and a man of rare generosity, had passed from this world. It is hard to accept that we are left only with the image of him on the poster of the exhibition that was on display at that time, a poster that shows the artist smiling a little sorrowfully, as if saying goodbye. In fact, the painter Lucian Liciu left us a particularly strong and sensitive work, his beautiful family, the painter Nicoleta Gribincea Liciu and his three children who take their artistic career seriously, and many, many, in fact only beautiful memories. (…) Lucian Liciu's plastic work brings to attention great problems and subjects of society, especially in recent years, strange and troubled. In a direct, fluent and emotional way, the artist brings us all into the scene, through everything that happens in his art. The exhibition does not promise a theme, a theme addressed in painting, but it is, one year after the brush and the palette of colors remained still in front of the easel, a tribute to the painter Lucian Liciu, by presenting, on picture rails, his creation. Displaying his art and understanding it fully, along with the emotions and feelings it generates, is the simplest and brightest way to remember the artist. It is, in fact, the essence of 'Truth. Testimony. Confession", a painting by Lucian Liciu, which the National Theatre of Bucharest is organizing this March.  *L.L. was born in 1968 in Slatina, he attended the Faculty of Decorative Art and Design, Monumental Art section of UNA Bucharest in the class of Professor Marilena Preda Sânc and the University of Art "Luceafărul" where he had as teachers Vasile Chinschi and Ion Sălișteanu. Numerous participations in group exhibitions and solo exhibitions at home and abroad. He has been a member of the Union of Fine Artists of Romania, UAP Bucharest Branch and a member of Visarta since 2014. He was married to the painter Nicoleta Gribincea. "Lucian Liciu searches, experiments and takes risks. These would be the key words of all his creation. For the above reason, his works, or series of works, are heterogeneous, what unites them being more the spirit than the style or the manner" (comment from 2018 by art historian and critic Mihai Plămădeală, on the occasion of the exhibition " Once upon a time in Romania and shall be again" at the Centre of Visual Arts in Bucharest). "L.L. has left an atypical, nonconformist, edgy and harsh creation, from which a unique and unmistakable black humour resonates". Cătălin Podoleanu, painter   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Open to visitors since 20 January 2023 in the Media Foyer of NTB (Intercontinental wing), the exhibition Art for Life, brings together paintings signed by 30 well-known Romanian artists under the sign of a remarkable charitable initiative. The exhibition will be opened on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 6 pm. Presented by art critic Pavel Șușara. The opening will be accompanied by a short recital by pianist Ioana Maria Lupașcu. The Art for Life exhibition is made possible by donations from artists and art collectors for cancer patients, who will benefit from the proceeds of the auction of these paintings, which will take place on February 21, 2023. The works of the following artists can be seen in the exhibition: Ioana Antoniu, Marius Barb, Dalina Bădescu, Corneliu Brudașcu, Marius Burhan, Maxim Dumitraș, Mircia Dumitrescu, Elian Dana Fabini, Dorothea Fleiss, Doina Moisescu Herivan, Sorin Ilfoveanu, Marcel Lupșe, Rareș Lupu, Mircea Nechita, Carmen Olteanu, Constantin Pacea, Ion Pacea, Ștefan Pelmuș, Emilia Perșu, Vasile Pop Negreșteanu, Florica Prevenda, Radu Pulbere, Eugen Raportoru, Ramona Raus, Cristian Samfira, Elisabeta Sultan, Cornel Șurlea, Mirela Trăistaru, Monica Vasinca, Florentina Voichi.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

In the Rotonda exhibition space of the Small Hall of TNB you can see until January 15, 2023 the exhibition entitled Period patterns, the basis of the theatre costume, by the students of the Scenography Department of UNATC Bucharest coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ștefan Caragiu and Prof. Univ. Dr. Liliana Cenean. On display there are 20 spectacular theatre costumes, made of various sumptuous materials, a true demonstration of creativity and talent of young future scenographers. The exhibition can be visited daily from 2 pm to 6.30 pm, except on Mondays and public holidays.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

This year, the annual exhibition Young Artist Odyssey organized by the Odiseea Education Association will be hosted in the exhibition spaces of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest. The Odiseea Education Association launched on April 1, 2022 the third edition of the national competition dedicated to children with talent in arts, "Young Artist Odyssey". Until April 30, 2022, young artists aged 10 - 14 and 15 - 18 respectively have entered paintings, drawings or collages on the theme of "War and Peace", the theme of this year's competition on Facebook. The best works were awarded prizes and will be exhibited in the exhibition "Young Artist Odyssey - 2022", whose opening will take place on November 25, 2022, at 5 pm, in the Tapestry foyer on the first floor of the "Ion Caramitru" Hall of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest. The works on display will be available to all spectators who come to the performances scheduled in the "Ion Caramitru" hall of TNB from November 26 until December 27, 2022.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

Painting Exhibition In Memoriam Eugen Crăciun - 100 years since the birth of the artist At the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre, in the foyer of the Media Hall (Intercontinental and Tudor Arghezi wings), November 24 - December 31, 2022. From November 24, 2022, in both exhibition halls of the Media Hall of NTB will be exhibited a rich selection of paintings by the master Eugen Crăciun (1922 - 2001), considered as one of the Romanian painters responsible for opening spiritual and technical paths in the Romanian art, from whose birth we celebrate 100 years. This is the second In memoriam exhibition dedicated to the painter on the occasion of his centenary, after the one at the Roman Gallery in May 2022. The current exhibition will present works of art made mainly in the last period of Eugen Crăciun's artistic career, since 1988, a period in which neo-expressionist or non-figurative and spiritualist tendencies dominate. Works characterized by contrasts, freshness and chromatic exuberance, as well as a rich compositional imagination. Separately, there will be an exhibition of earlier, figurative works made between 1960 and 1976. The opening will take place on Thursday, November 24, 2022, at 6 pm, in the Media foyer (Intercontinental wing), in the presence of Eugen Crăciun's son and wife (Daniel and Michaela Nica-Crăciun), who are also visual artists.  Presented by art critics Prof. Doina Mândru and Prof. Marius Tiță. "The exhibition is waiting for you to see it - Daniel and Michaela Nica Crăciun invite us - to remind you not only of Eugen Crăciun at his centenary, but also of the fact that his art is alive, unrepeatable, a path-breaker or even a mind-changer. He believed in redemption through art, in the mission of art to educate, to bring the public closer, so that they can always ask themselves questions to which they can find answers - the ones that are really necessary". The exhibition will be open to the public during the month of December 2022, from 11 am to 6 pm, except on public holidays.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The master of the flute, Gheorghe Zamfir, as a painter, exhibits in the foyer of the Studio Hall of TNB. The master of the flute, Gheorghe Zamfir, needs no introduction, the name of the flute has become almost synonymous with his name: "Whoever hears the wonderful sound of the flute, which through the mastery of a man of grace conveys unparalleled emotions, exclaims: Zamfir". The man who, in his career of over 60 years, has revolutionized and ennobled the art of the flute with the grace of his talent, is not only a world-class performer, but also a versatile artist who manifests artistic concerns outside the musical sphere that has consecrated him, publishing stories, verses, essays and an autobiographical book, and exhibiting his own paintings at home and abroad. From November 16, 2022, the foyer of the Studio Hall of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre will host a large exhibition of paintings signed by the "Master of the Flute", Gheorghe Zamfir, grouped under the title - how else! - "Symphony of Colors". "My painting is a sound in color, it's more of a musical painting, if I can call it that. It is a painting of intense color expressing sonatas, symphonies, rhapsodies and so on. My colors are evocative, in the sense that they dare to represent a part of sound translated into color. I don't consider myself a real painter, because I don't have schools, so I don't talk about this side of mine very often, but I don't think it's fair to hide this passion from you. Expression is what we are in our depths. Expression helps us define ourselves and give of our presence to those around us or those we meet! When words are not enough, you give a song, when music is not enough either, you put colors on canvas and show your soul to the whole world! Here are the colors of my soul!" - says the Master. The opening of this exhibition will take place on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 6.30 pm, in the first floor foyer of the NTB Studio Hall. Presented by art critic Pavel Șușară. The exhibition "Symphony of Colors" will remain open until January 2023 and can be visited daily from 11 am to 6 pm.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The National Museum of Romanian Literature in collaboration with the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre invites you to the opening of the homage exhibition The Great Theatre 170, which will take place on Friday, November 11, 2022, at 4 pm at the NMRL headquarters in 64-66, Calea Griviței Street. The opening will be addressed by Adriana Popescu, Director of Communication and International Relations at the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest and Prof. Ioan Cristescu, PhD, Director of the National Museum of Romanian Literature. The exhibition includes photographs, posters, program booklets, fine art and set elements that bring to the public's attention great personalities of the national theatre, memorable roles and performances that made history. Among the exhibits are two extremely precious garments: a white sheepskin vest, with black astrahan borders, decorated with the royal insignia - the royal crown and the letter E - and floral ornaments, a vest that Queen Elizabeth had given to the actor Grigore Manolescu, for the part of Răzvan in the play "Razvan and Vidra" by B. P. Hasdeu, and a long red-pink brocade shirt worn by C.I. Nottara in "King Lear" in 1910. Both garments are part of the collections of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest. The exhibition can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10.00 to 18.00 at the National Museum of Romanian Literature, "Petru Creția" and "Al. Oprea", 64 - 66 Calea Griviței from 11 to 26 November 2022.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The National Union of Historic Monuments Restorers from Romania organizes at the  "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest in the foyer of the Media Hall, entrance from Tudor Arghezi Street, an exhibition of the works presented during the Restoration Triennial 2022 - 9th Edition. The exhibition will be open from October 29, 2022. The jubilee of this event will take place on Thursday, November 3, 2022, starting at 12:30 in the same place. During the event, diplomas will be awarded to those who participated in the design and execution of the restoration works awarded by the jury during the development of TNR 2022. We invite you to join us on this festive day!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

The jubilee exhibition Fotogeografica, a quarter of a century can be visited from October 11 to October 25, 2022 in the Media Foyer (wing facing Tudor Arghezi Street) of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest. The exhibition is open as part of the Fotogeografica 2022 program, which is a cultural quadrangle that takes place in four cultural institutions in Bucharest: Bucharest National Opera, "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest, the National Library of Romania and the Students' Cultural Centre from Bucharest. The opening of the National Photography Salon Fotogeografica 2022, shall take place on October 11, 2022, starting at 6:30 pm, in the Foyer of the Bucharest National Opera. The ceremony will be broadcast online and live-streamed here   https://www.facebook.com/events/1521514914945470?ref=newsfeed. On this occasion, the Fotogeografica 2022 catalogue will also be presented, containing, in addition to the prize-winning photographs in the two sections, cultural heritage and natural heritage, in the categories students and open, also the best works from the photo gallery of the competition (online exhibition www.fotogeografica.ro 2022). The exhibition is open to visitors from 11 to 24 October 2022 and brings together a selection of over 1500 photos entered by 262 participants from all over the country. The series of related and complementary events, the Fotogeografica Evenings, will take place at the Students' Cultural Centre from Bucharest, addressing themes in science, culture or sports, photo workshops and public awareness activities. From October 24 to October 30, 2022, the Fotogeografica Exhibition will be hosted by the National Library of Romania, as part of the event "Grigore Antipa and Emil Racoviță, personalities of world science". Fotogeografica is an established brand of photographic art that promotes the values of Romanian nature, culture and traditions. The project is carried out by the Students' Cultural Centre from Bucharest, under the aegis of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, with the special support of the Bucharest National Opera and the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu