“THE SAINT OF MONTPARNASSE” from Document to Myth. A Century of Constantin Brancusi Exegesis.
Exploratory research project National Romanian Authority for Scientific Research, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0200, project director Dr. Ioana Vlasiu.
This project originated in the posthumous donation of the comprehensive archive of the Romanian art historian Barbu Brezianu (18 March 1909 – 14 January 2008) to the Institute of Art History ”G. Oprescu” of the Romanian Academy in Bucharest. According to his will, his son, Andrei Brezianu to whom we are thankful, fulfilled this bequest. As a whole, the donation consists in the following:
· the library, largely specialized in modern and contemporary sculpture, and concerning, above all, the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi
· a vast documentary material organized in thematic files, mainly dedicated to the biography and work of Constantin Brancusi, but also to other research themes related to modern Romanian art that Brabu Brezianu found great interest in
· correspondence with Romanian and foreign art historians
· photographs.
The main goal of this project is to transform the Research Center “Barbu Brezianu” within the Institute of Art History ”G. Oprescu”, into a key venue for art history research offering researchers an organized archive, accessible and rich in study materials able to stimulate reflection on modernity in visual arts.
In order to achieve this goal, the project team established several stages of work and modes of approach to underline the value of the archive.
ARCHIVING (the conservation, record and classification of all donated documents)
RESEARCHING (the opening towards new research perspectives in the history of sculpture, starting from the archive documents)
PUBLICIZING (the organization and participation to workshops and conferences; the organization of the international conference "After Brancusi", followed by the publication of both resulting papers and of selected archive material)
CONNECTING with contemporary art practice (artists invited to imagine ways of activating and interrogating the archive)
