From Țepeș to Brâncuși / 5 centuries of History and culture in 50 pieces, Emilian Radu collection

Partner: Emilian Radu private collections

History and culture enthusiasts can visit, until January 8, 2023, the exhibition From Ţepeş to Brâncuşi - 5 centuries of history and culture in the Romanian space, from the Emilian Radu collections, organized by the Brukenthal National Museum on the occasion of Romania's National Day.

 50 rare maps, books, manuscripts and photographs will be exhibited in the Prints and Drawings Cabinet in the Brukenthal Palace in Sibiu.

The exhibition approach is one of the most original and ambitious private exhibition projects in our country in general and in Sibiu in particular. The wide selection of unique objects from the Emilian Radu collections presented, illustrates the history and culture of Romanians for almost five centuries, from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

Organized on the occasion of Romania's National Day, the exhibition route begins with two representations of the ruler of Wallachia, one from the 15th century and another, more recent, from the end of the 20th century. It is a dialogue, over time, between a portrait of Vlad the Impaler engraved in 1491 (titled Hystoria Dracole Wayda and made in Bamberg) and the legend of the vampire, as imagined by Andy Warhol in his famous work, Dracula, from 1985.

Several book volumes from Emilian Radu's impressive collection will be exhibited in Sibiu, such as the Historia dela Transilvania from 1638, the Romanian Psaltirea from Bălgrad from 1651, the Historia de rebus Transsylvanicus printed by Martin Hochmeister in Sibiu, Hungaria et Atila having- the author Nicolaus Olahus or Histoire de la Moldavie et de la Valachie from 1781.

The exhibition will also bring together some photos of the Royal House in Romania, in this year of the Centenary of the Coronation. Thus, it will be possible to see the photo of Queen Maria, Queen Elizabeth, King Charles or Ferdinand accompanied by a signature. Together with this photograph, the photograph of the ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Mihail Kogălniceanu, I.C. Brătianu, George Enescu, Vasile Alecsandri or Mihai Eminescu can also be seen. One of the special pieces in the exhibition is the portrait of the sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, made in Paris in 1932 and authenticated by John Constantin Moore, the artist's son, and the Eva drawing made by Brâncuși in 1937.

Among the most beautiful and carefully prepared maps on display, we mention a few: Transylvania from 1566, 1595 and 1635, the Nona Europe Tabula published in Rome in 1490 or the Military Charter of Romania, processed at the resbel deposit from 1875.

The objects presented in the exhibition From Ţepeş to Brâncuşi – 5 centuries of history and culture in the Romanian space are part of the collections of Emilian Radu, a passionate collector of art and objects loaded with history and culture. Among the 50 exhibits there are original pieces, exhibited for the first time in Sibiu and Transylvania.