UNESCO added a series of outdoor sculptures by Romanian modernist master Constantin Brancusi to its list of world heritage sites on Saturday, celebrating their place as one of the most notable examples of 20th-century public art, Reuters reports. Brancusi created the open-air collection that includes the "Endless Column" and the "Gate of the Kiss" in the small south-western Romanian town of Targu Jiu in 1937-1938 as a tribute to fallen World War I soldiers. The five sculptural installations aligned on a 1.5-km-long axis along Targu Jiu's central Avenue of Heroes are one of the few Brancusi works located in Romania. "The granted recognition forces us to protect the monumental ensemble, to keep it intact for future generations and for humanity's cultural memory," Romanian Culture Minister Raluca Turcan said. Brancusi was born in the small village of Hobita near the Carpathian Mountains, but lived in Paris for most of his life. He arrived in Paris in 1904 after an 18-month walk and eventually worked under Auguste Rodin. He left Rodin's studio in 1907 saying "nothing grows under big trees" and became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He bequeathed his studio and some of his art to the French state after his death in 1957. He had wanted to leave his art to Romania, but the then communist government declined the offer. In 2023, the western Romanian city of Timisoara staged the first retrospective exhibit of Brancusi works to be held in his home country in more than 50 years. A separate comprehensive Brancusi exhibit ended this month at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan stated during an interview on Wednesday, December 17, that there should be no statute of limitations in cases of serious corruption. The statement comes after a Recorder investigation, which showed that several heads of the major institutions in the Romanian justice system allegedly delayed trials for years until wrongdoings were […]
President Nicușor Dan has challenged, before the Constitutional Court (CCR), the constitutionality of the law that requires that at least 40% of the athletes who play on a team in official national competitions be Romanian. Dan noted that the law violates the principle of non-discrimination and the free movement of workers, enshrined both in the […]
Craiova International Airport will open its new passenger terminal on Thursday, December 18, completing a major infrastructure investment aimed at significantly expanding capacity and improving air connectivity in southwestern Romania. It is part of a broader expansion and modernization project financed through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020, with a total value exceeding EUR […]
Romania is set to be connected to the Western European energy network thanks to grid investments worth EUR 30 billion. The funds will be provided by the EU by 2035, and the project will link Romania to Hungary and Austria in a joint project. Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan signaled the signing of the new […]
Franck Bagouet has been appointed managing director of TotalEnergies Marketing Romania SA and managing director of Automotive Southeast Europe Hub TotalEnergies Marketing. He succeeds Didier Grimault, who has accepted a new position within the TotalEnergies company. “I am glad to join this dynamic affiliate and confident that, together with our talented team, we will reinforce […]
Databricks, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company co-founded by Romanian professors Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it is raising USD 4 billion in funding at a valuation of USD 134 billion, according to CNBC. The new valuation represents a 34% increase compared to the August round, when Databricks […]
