The Art Museum of Craiova

Craiova Art Museum was founded in 1954 and is hosted by The Mihail Palace. The building itself stood out in the city landscape of Craiova as the most astonishing private property in the beginning of the XXth century. It represented one of the highest standards of civilian architecture in the period. In the context of a rapid urban development, many of the wealthy families in town looked to errect impressive homes, asking advice and expertise from the famous architects of the moment. Thus, Constantin Mihail, one of the richest persons in the country, hired Paul Gottereau, the architect of the Royal Court, to draw the plans of his palace. Mirroring the leading trend in the epoch, an eclectic style, combining features of The French Academic Classicism and late-baroque elements, the building is very similar to one of the palaces on the Loire Valley.
When founded, Craiova Art Museum inherited art objects belonging to some of the most important painting and art galleries in the region, formerly private collections donated by their owners to the local community. Thus, it took over most of the ”Alexandru and Aristia Aman” collection which consisted of furniture, Italian, French, Dutch and Flemish School paintings from the XVIIth to XIXth century, paintings and graphics of Theodor Aman, Romanian and foreign decorative art objects. The treasure became even more substantial in the period between the Two World Wars thanks to acquisitions made by the City Hall and the donations of the most important aristocratic families in town.
The process of acquisition continued and the collection was enriched in the post-war period through important transfers from The Romanian National Art Museum and the state reserves. The Museum heritage consists today of more than 8000 European and Romanian works of art. The museum exhibits among others, valuable paintings and sculptures signed by the most important names in the Romanian art history: Aman, Grigorescu, Tonitza, Luchian, Petrașcu, Pallady, Stoenescu, Țuculescu, Anghel and Paciurea.
The most valuable masterpieces are six of Brâncuși’s sculptures: Vitellius, Head of a Girl, Head of a Boy, Torso, M-lle Pogany and The Kiss (1907) – considered to be the birth certificate of modern art.