The 1989 Romanian Revolution in retrospective: two photo-documentary exhibitions

Impressive images, some of which had toured the world as the Romanian revolution was broadcasted live, remind passers-by of events which, 30 years ago, turned a page in the country’s recent history. Two photo-documentary exhibitions now on view on Calea Victoriei evoke the major damage sustained by the former Royal Palace and the museum’s collection.
In 1989 the National Museum of Art of Romania occupied the wing facing Știrbei Vodă street; a devastating fire destroyed the oil-painting conservation laboratory and the paintings in it. Events equally took their toll on numerous other masterpieces in the permanent galleries. In the following years paintings underwent complex conservation, some of them gaining new life in famous conservation studios in the Netherlands, France, Italy and the United States. Thirty years later you can glance at the photographs or, better still, visit the galleries to marvel at and enjoy the magic of specialist conservation work!

“The exhibition celebrates the efforts to safeguard, preserve and rebuild both the building of the former Royal Palace and the museum’s collections. Thirty years after events in December 1989, the palace building has been entirely renovated and most of the damages sustained by the museum’s masterpieces are only visible to a trained conservator’s eye” says interim museum manager, architect Liviu Constantinescu.
The second exhibition, organised in partnership with the Romanian National News Agency, features images from the latter’s photographic archive, taken by the agency’s professional reporters. They show events in Timişoara, the overthrow of power in ”Revolution Square” as the place is known today, the Ceauşescu’s helicopter flight.

“As history unfolds under our eyes, we become aware that the freedom we enjoy today is based on other people’s sacrifice. This exhibition honours them and hints at how momentous events actually were” says Claudia Victoria Nicolae, Director General of AGERPRES.