#Exhibit of the Month

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, 2026 was declared by the President of Romania the Year of Constantin Brâncuși. Constantin Brâncuși, one of the greatest sculptors of the twentieth century, was born in 1876 in Hobița, Gorj County, and passed away in 1957 in Paris; he was buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery. In 1904 he arrived in Paris, where he attended courses at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. There he also worked in the studio of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), the founder of modern sculpture, and met Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920), the Italian sculptor settled in France. Inspired by the work of these artists, he perfected his artistic training in Paris. His works are held in museums both at home and abroad, in the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries, France, and the United States of America. For his outstanding merits he was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania in 1923; in 1931 Nicolae Iorga proposed him for the Order of Cultural Merit; and only in 1990 was he posthumously elected a member of the Romanian Academy.
One of the artist's most famous creations is the sculpture Mademoiselle Pogany, considered a national symbol of modern Romanian art. Its protagonist was Margaret Pogany (1879-1964), a young Hungarian painter who came to Paris in 1909 to study painting techniques. Visiting her studio, she asked the sculptor to make her portrait, even leaving him a photograph and a self-portrait. In 1911 Brâncuși sculpted her likeness from memory in marble and in bronze, focusing on the deep, large, almond-shaped eyes, the subdued eyebrows, the narrow nose, the small mouth, the austere hairstyle and the modest gesture of the hands, rested against the face. Between 1912 and 1933 he produced nineteen versions of Mademoiselle Pogany.

The commemorative medal "Constantin Brâncuși (1876-1976). Expoziție Filatelică Omagială - București 1976" was struck in Romania at the State Mint by the engraver Ștefan Grudinschi. Executed in bronze with a diameter of 60 mm and a weight of 113.73 g, the medal is remarkable for its memorial and artistic value. Obverse: the sculptor's bust facing left, with the semicircular legend "CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUȘI - 1876-1976." Reverse: a fragment of the triptych The Gate of the Kiss. Semicircular legend: "EXPOZIȚIA FILATELICĂ OMAGIALĂ - BUCUREȘTI 1976."
The medal "Constantin Brâncuși. Mademoiselle Pogany. Craiova Art Museum. 1987" was also executed in bronze at the State Mint (Bucharest); it has a nominal diameter of 60 mm (because of the circular cutting the actual dimensions are D: 45 mm; weight: 53.55 g). The obverse shows, in the central field, an image of the Craiova Art Museum framed by the semicircular legend "MUZEUL DE ARTĂ - CRAIOVA / 1987." The reverse depicts a replica of the sculpture Mademoiselle Pogany made by Brâncuși's pupil O. Moșescu, accompanied by the inscription "CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUȘI - M-elle POGANY / 1913."

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

“Official and unofficial symbols of the Republic of Moldova”

Dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the State Flag and the State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Moldova and to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the National Heraldry Commission

November 3, 2020 - June 21, 2021

Symbols are expressions of the spirit, which are evoked by specific material manifestations that define the individual or collective embodiment of the idea of homeland. Of the many symbols that exist in space and time, national symbols are of paramount importance. Their role is to coagulate national and state entities and to sensitize society in order to educate patriotism, dignity and the appreciation of national values. Among the national symbols of a state are distinguished the official ones, such as the coat of arms, the flag, the anthem, the state insignia, the national currency, but also other emblems that identify it in non-formal situations, such as flowers, trees, birds, animals, monuments, and so on.

The purpose of the exhibition is to present the official national symbols of the Republic of Moldova, but also the complementary national emblems fundamental for the country, which have the role of defining and popularizing the heraldic image of our country both within the country and in Europe.

The exhibition is divided into three compartments. The first of them is dedicated to the major national symbols: State Coat of Arms, State Flag, State Anthem, state and departmental insignia, national currency, and so on. Among others, original medieval documents from the collections of the National Archive of the Republic of Moldova are exhibited, which illustrate the use of the coat of arms of Moldova in the medieval and modern era. For the first time, several exhibits are displayed that highlight the life and work of the authors of the anthem Limba noastră [Our Language], the poet Alexe Mateevici and the composer Alexandru Cristea.

The second compartment includes derived national symbols, such as the banners of the highest officials of the Republic of Moldova or the state seal, but also some complementary national emblems, from the field of nature or culture, such as national plant, national flower, national tree, the national animal emblem, the national bird, the national river, the national holiday, the folk costume, and so on.

The purpose of the third compartment is to present to the public the model of a country that successfully and inspiringly promotes its natural and cultural symbols. This is Canada, where those symbols are adopted not only at the national level, but also at the provincial level. Thus, several materials are exhibited, including various products, souvenirs, coins, postcards, objects, clothing accessories, and other items, which contain images of unofficial symbols of this state.

Organizers:
National Museum of History of Moldova
National Heraldry Commission under the President of the Republic of Moldova

Partners:
National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History
Mihail Kogălniceanu National Museum of Literature
National Archives Agency
Researcher Maria Ișaev
Also collaborated: Eugen Belinschi, Varvara Buzilă,
Marina Chilat, Petru Costin, Svetlana Dernovici,
Alexandru Macovei, Daniel Racoviță, Valentina Rudâc,
Leontina Vatamanu, and others.