The Theodor Aman Museum in Bucharest is one of the most interesting cultural institutions in Romania's capital, being almost one hundred years old. Hosted in a beautiful and ellegant building, in a neoclassical style, the Theodor Aman Museum opened in 1908. Visitors can find here a vast selection of oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, engravings, sculptures, most of them donated by Ana Aman in 1904, complemented by a vast collection of prints and etchings, documents, some personal objects and tools of the painters, as well as letters, catalogues of his works, old weapons, costumes, Aman's cello. In brief, a fascinating world of art and culture, dedicated to one of the most important Romanian artists. And all can be found on the C.A. Rosetti Street, No 8. You will easily recognise the house, which still has the old time charm and beauty, well preserved. An impressive, yet small museum, unfortunatelly not as popular as it should be.
Theodor Aman (1831 - 1891) is not only one of the best Romanian artists, but also one of the founders of modern Romanian art. In no small part due to his efforts, the first Romanian higher school of art was opened in Bucharest, and Aman was it's director for more than a quarter of a century. Later, he also organised the first collective exhibitions of Romanian art. The house that how hosts the museum was built in 1869, to be the home and studio of Theodor Aman, who signed the project and supervised closely the whole endeavour. He would also make the outside decorations of the house, thus proving to be not only a tallented painter and draftsman, but also a skillful sculptor. He would further enrich the charm of the house by making a large part of the interior decorations, especially the small and highly detailed sculptures on the original furniture. But much more interesting are the sculptures that can be found on the facade of the house : Michelangelo and Leonardo. These two masters, among Aman's favourites, were captured by the artist in two exceptional sculptures, which capture the eye of the visitor from the very first moment.
Photo : ici.ro
2007-11-26
