The Museum Of Art Collections (Muzeul Colecțiilor de Artă) is a satellite branch of the National Museum of Art of Romania, and is located in the former Romanit Palace on Victory Avenue in Bucharest.
History Of The Romanit Palace
The Romanit Palace was commissioned by the nobleman C. Faca in the early 19th century, but he died before its completion in 1822. His heirs sold the building to the Greek treasurer Romanit who completed it with a luxurious interior including marble stucco, expensive carpets, and thick silk curtains.
After the death of Romanit in 1834, Prince Alexandru D. Ghica (1834-1842) established his chancellery in the building. In 1836, the state bought the building as an office for the Administrative Court and from the middle of the 19th century it was used by the Ministry of Finance. As the ministry needed more space, the building was expanded with two new wings creating a U-shape. The remodeled edifice was completed in 1883.
History Of The Museum Of Art Collections
The Museum of Art Collections was established based on 44 private collections that have been donated to the state. The museum was inaugurated in 1978.
Museum Collection
The museum collection is devided in three sections. The largest collection consists of modern works of Romanian painters including Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu, Gheorghe Petraşcu, Theodor Pallady, Iosif Iser, Dimitrie Ghiaţă, and several others.
The second collection consists of popular Romanian art including paintings, graphics, sculptures, and decorative art. The third collection consists of international art pieces, mainly from other European countries and Asia.
The museum also has a lapidarium which includes stone sculptures that belonged to the Văcărești Monastery that was demolished by Ceaușescu’s order in 1986.
