The thematic exhibition "From Socialist Realism to National Communism," an extensive exploration of the transformations in Romanian art during the second half of the 20th century, will open on 12 December at Sutu Palace - the Bucharest Municipality Museum.
According to a statement from the organisers sent to AGERPRES on Monday, Romanian art went through two major, distinct phases, separated by the radical changes brought by the Second World War and the establishment of the communist regime. Before 1944, artists enjoyed creative freedom, but after the war, aesthetic criteria were redefined according to new ideological directives. Socialist realism imposed themes and representations deemed appropriate to the new political vision, forcing creators to adapt: some adjusted, others were marginalised, while some chose exile to preserve their artistic independence, the cited source further showed.
The second major phase, marked by the consolidation of national communism in the 1960s-1980s, brought a new form of instrumentalisation of artistic imagery. The promotion of the cult of personality and the reinterpretation of history deeply influenced themes, styles, and hierarchies in Romanian visual arts. In this context, established and emerging artists alike were pushed to respond to political demands through figurative, descriptive works aligned with official ideology, the statement added.
The exhibition highlights these shifts and the ways in which different creators chose to respond to the pressures of the era. Visitors will be able to discover works by Max Herman Maxy, Jules Perahim, Adina Paula Moscu, Henri Catargi, Micaela Eleutheriade, Alexandru Ciucurencu, together with artists prominent during the communist period such as Corneliu Baba, Sabin Balasa, Ovidiu and Sultana Maitec, as well as lesser-known names including Eugen Palade and Constantin Nitescu.
The exhibition brings together works from the Bucharest Pinacotheque collection and pieces from other collections of the Bucharest Municipality Museum, offering a complex, interdisciplinary perspective in which history and anthropology complement the artistic reading, the statement said.
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