#Exhibit of the Month

This remarkable portrait of Mihai Eminescu, created by artist Alexandru Gușanov, is based on one of the four known photographs of the poet. The photograph that inspired this portrait was taken in 1869 in Wenceslas Square, Prague, when Eminescu was only 19 years old. The oval composition and harmonious color palette highlight the prominent personality and charisma of the young poet, capturing an expression that conveys both melancholy and intellectual depth.
Alexandru Gușanov (1929-2005), a Moldovan painter of Ukrainian origin, distinguished himself through his extensive work, comprising approximately 5,000 pieces - portraits, landscapes, and still life paintings. Settled in Moldova since 1945, Gușanov graduated from the Republican Art School "I.E. Repin" in Chișinău in 1952. His works were showcased in numerous national and international exhibitions and were highly appreciated in countries such as France, Hungary, Russia, and Yugoslavia. The artist dedicated a significant part of his career to creating portraits of historical and cultural figures, including Dimitrie Cantemir, Mihail Kogălniceanu, and Alexei Mateevici, which are part of the National Museum of History of Moldova's collection.

The subject of the portrait, Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), is the most significant poet in Romanian literature, whose works reflect profound thought, sensitivity toward nature, and national identity. At the age of 19, when the photograph that inspired this portrait was taken, Eminescu was in the midst of his intellectual formation, preparing to become the iconic voice of Romanian culture. Among his most famous works is the poem Luceafărul (The Morning Star), a masterpiece of universal literature.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

„Memory Captured in Postcards”

April 6 - May 20, 2013

In the upstairs hall of the National Museum of History of Moldova there was open a temporary exhibition Memory Captured in Postcards dedicated to the International Day for Monuments and Sites that is celebrating annually on 18 April.

The exhibition was organized by the Modern History Department and aims to acquaint visitors with the diversity of national heritage and to awaken their interest to the monuments and respect for history. The exhibition warns of the danger in which there are some monuments and calls for their protection and conservation.

The core of the exhibition is illustrated postcards from the collections of the museum; it consists of 275 images covering the period from the late 19^th century to 2011.

The exhibition structure is divided into two compartments:

The first includes postcards illustrating the historical monuments of Bessarabia, including those of Chisinau, in the period from the late 19^th century to 1940s. By means of the postcards visitors will "travel" through time, admiring the central avenue of the city and architecture of buildings and recreational facilities.

The second compartment includes postcards with the images of monuments today. There are presented pictures that reflect the history of the Republic of Moldova from 1980s to the present. Along with images of old monuments preserved to this day, there are given images of buildings, which are the symbols of the Republic of Moldova: the Presidency, Parliament, Government House, City Hall, etc. A special place there is occupied by picture postcards with the buildings of institutions of culture and art, monuments and statues, churches and monasteries, museums of natural history in the area between the Prut and Dniester.

The postcards are accompanied by a mini-collection of wall and floor clocks that symbolize the time that erases..., but also retains.

#Exhibit of the Month

Portrait of Mihai Eminescu by Alexandru Gușanov

„Memory Captured in Postcards”

April 6 - May 20, 2013

#Exhibit of the Month