The National Art Museum of Romania inaugurates on January 15 the European Decorative Art Gallery, a unique permanent exhibition in the Romanian cultural landscape, which offers the public access to an impressive collection of approximately 400 pieces of tapestry and furniture, decorative art from ceramics, glass and metal.
With an area of over 400 square meters, the European Decorative Art Gallery, composed of six rooms, illustrates four centuries of history of taste and refinement, innovations, manufacturers and European craftsmen from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, Russia of the 16th-19th centuries and completes the museum’s permanent exhibition, alongside the European Art Gallery and the National Gallery.
Included in the exhibition is a beautiful marriage box made in Dresden in 1586, ceramic objects from the famous faience factories of Delft (Holland), Manises (Spain), Montelupo Fiorentino and Savona (Italy), Rouen, Moustiers and Sèvres (France), Meissen (Germany), Provençal furniture and French tapestries, as well as unique silver pieces alongside the famous Bohemian crystal glasses.
The craftsmanship of Russian craftsmen can be admired in the delicate cloisonné silver pieces, in the niello silver glasses or the Punch Bowl made by the famous Fabergé workshop. Also, a precious collection of watches illustrates the excellence of jewellers and watchmakers from the most important workshops in Europe.
The presence of these objects in Romania attests to the fact that our country has always been in a European circuit of exchanges of cultural values.
Europe was not only the space for the manifestation of some secular practices in the artistic field but also a place where the creative input from other continents merged into defining expressions of the exceptionality of the human spirit. Over time, these varied cultural influences have contributed to the definition of a European identity reflected in the gallery’s exhibition.
The spaces that house this gallery went through an extensive remodelling process, heavily affected by the earthquake of 1986 and the fire of 1989. The opening of this gallery required the creation of showcases for an exhibition that was by the latest standards in the field, ensuring both the security of the parts and a way of display at the highest standards.
The European Decorative Art Gallery benefits from a digital component for the first time. The MyMNAR application can be used within the gallery during the museum visit to complement the interactive exhibition course.
Workshops and educational programs dedicated to children and adults will be organized, which will mediate access to the pieces of decorative art from the exhibition and, at the same time, help to develop creativity and the artistic spirit.
On January 15, the National Culture Day, the MNAR headquarters (Calea Victoriei 49-53) will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with the public having the opportunity to visit the European Decorative Art Gallery, the Historical Spaces, the Gallery of European Art and the National Gallery.
Access to the European Decorative Art Gallery is through entrance A2, 3rd floor, Calea Victoriei 49-53, from Wednesday to Sunday, between 10:00 and 18:00.
