#BrâncușiCenter. Cosmin Vasile, Dolj County Council: „People will get to know Brâncuși in a manner in which they have never done before”
Starting this month, Dolj county will become an important point on the map of big European cultural points of attraction. The inauguration of „Constantin Brâncuși” Center, one of the most ambitious projects of Dolj County Council, on the September 15th , with many surprises for participants and visitors. The president of Dolj County Council, Cosmin Vasile, talked about the opening in an exclusive interview for Discover Dolj.
The „Constantin Brâncuși” Center is one of the most ambitious and difficult projects of the Dolj County Council, especially logistically speaking. How do you see its completion and how important is it for the county?
First of all, I would like to specify the fact that this project is not important only for the county, but also on a national and international level. Given the worldwide unique construction, projected by architect Dorin Ștefan, we are sure that this will attract a lot of tourists in Craiova, especially the ones interested in Constantin Brâncuși and the sculpture domain. Secondly, it is worth saying that the mission that the constructors had, and all the other involved parts, was an extremely difficult one, which adds more value to this project. There were many obstacles to go through, but I consider, together with my colleagues from the County Council, that we are facing a remarkable accomplishment, which will consolidate the position of Craiova and Dolj in the top of cultural touristic destinations.
„Brâncuși” Center and the Art Museum, a „whole complex of studying the huge personality of the great artist”
Brâncuși’s passing through Craiova meaned very much for the young sculptor that he was back then. His staying here was also very important for our city. In this context, we would like you to tell us how the project of the „Brâcuși” Center was born.
Even Constantin Brâncuși said that Craiova was his second birthplace, even tough he was born, as we well know, in Hobița, Gorj county. Oltenia always stood close to Brâncuși, but Craiova and Dolj are very important, considering that this is the place he chose to study and form himself as an artist. We thought about this project a few years ago and it was meant to be a honoring of his work for this region, but also an opportunity for our citizens and tourists to find even more about the man and the artist Constantin Brâncuși. That’s why, you will see, in the Center we will have exposed the story of the sculptor, how he got to Craiova, and then the road to settling in Paris. We consider these being relevant details for the public and they come to complete the point of attraction that is the operas of the sculpture hosted by the Art Museum, the place exactly next to the Center. We can say that we will have a whole complex of studying the huge personality of the great artist.
The public’s access in „Brâncuși” Center will be free of charge. The inauguration, full of surprises
Perfection, the infinite and also the abstract were always themes in Constantin Brâncuși’s work. The same feelings are inspired by the glass prism that the passers-by can see near the Art Museum. What can we find, though, in the undergrounds of this work of art itself, that has big scale representations of the „Ovoid” and the „Pasărea Măiastră”?
The underground of the „Constantin Brâncuși”’s Center was conceived as a generous expositional space, where those interested will discover a lot of surprises: the story from Hobița to Paris, via Craiova, of course, the entire life of Brâncuși arranged in a chronological order, the beams brought by V.G. Paleolog from Brâncuși’s workshop in Paris and a lot of other information linked to the live of the sculptor. In the evening of the inauguration, we have prepared many surprises to the participants, surprises that will be visible inclusively on the building of the Art Museum. I would like for us to keep an element of mystery connected to this inauguration and this center because, however we try to describe it in words, the visual experience will definitely be more important than any words. The art transmits thousands of words through a simple sculpture, through a simple image, and this will bring to life a lot of feelings for our visitors. What I would like to mention is the fact that the access of the public in this center will be free, because we want everybody to have the possibility to access this story and this dream come true of the entire community of the county: Brâncuși’s admirers, the specialists, engineers, architects, my colleagues from the Dolj City Council and not only, all the people that contributed in a way or another to this project being made. On this occasion, I would like to thank them, because without them we would not have been here now. In the evening of September 15th, a new page of Craiova and Dolj’s culture will be written and, with the inauguration, we invite the people to get to know our Brâncuși, in a manner in which they have never done before.