exhibitions

The collection of over 7,800 works is diplayed in the main building and its annex, as well as in two other locations: The „Ion Jalea” Museum of Sculpture, situated in the old harbor of Constanța, and The „Dinu and Sevasta Vintilă” Museum of Art, situated in the township of Topalu, Constanța County. Out of this impressive collection, only about 1,500 artworks are on permanent display in the three locations of the museum. Other works make their way from the museum deposit to exhibition halls during thematic events that promote Constanța’s rich art heritage.

The artworks on permanent display are presented by author, chronologically, offering a coherent image of the evolution of Romanian art. The visitors start their tour with 19^th century paintings by Romanian masters such as Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu and Ioan Andreescu, exhibited alongside sculptures signed by Ioan Georgescu, Ştefan Ionescu Valbudea, Frederic Storck, Dimitrie Paciurea.

The Romanian masters of the 19^th century, Theodor Aman and Nicolae Grigorescu, together with the younger Ion Andreescu and Ștefan Luchian founded academic art education and set art standards in Romania at that time. The visitors can easily understand their cardinal contribution to academic and modern Romanian art and their connection with French painting (especially in the case of Nicolae Grigorescu and Ion Andreescu, who participated in the Barbizon School). Ștefan Luchian, labeled as “the flower painter”, took a critical stand towards academism, and this is also visible in the artworks from the permanent collection.

Romanian art of the first half of the 20^th century is illustrated by works signed by Nicolae Tonitza, Theodor Pallady, Nicolae Darăscu, Gheorghe Petraşcu, Francisc Şirato, Iosif Iser, Lucian Grigorescu, Dumitru Ghiaţă, Camil Ressu, Dimitrie Paciurea, Corneliu Medrea, artists who proved a strong and meaningful connection to Western European art, while authoring art of unquestionable originality and value; the fascination with the Avant-garde, a worldwide esthetic movement, speaks to the visitors through paintings, etchings and sculptures signed by Corneliu Mihăilescu, M.H. Maxy, Milița Petrașcu, among others.