The exhibition IN|SHADOW by the artists Viorica and Gheorghe Iacob, presented by the Brukenthal National Museum and the IACOB Foundation, in the temporary exhibition hall on the ground floor of the Brukenthal Palace, can be visited until April 30, 2024.
The exhibition organized at the Brukenthal National Museum represents an important step in the IACOB foundation’s approach to promoting the impressive artistic activity of the two artists. It brings to the attention of art lovers a selection of works that fall into similar but still different areas and visual research, betraying complementary or even contrasting interests and approaches between the two artists.
In the case of Viorica Iacob, the selection consists of works with a geometric structure in monochrome valences from the Plowed Earth series. The selection extends to several mediums and techniques specific to the artist’s work process: painting, graphics, and tapestry.
On the other hand, the works signed by Gherghe Iacob, which were integrated into the exhibition, can be assimilated into the series of compositions that have as their central element abstract, geometrizing chromatic modulations, but also some examples of sculptures that follow the same formal structuring (two sculptures from the series Abstracted Anthropomorphisms).
In both cases, we can identify a certain preference, which is differently transposed, for textures, structures, chromatic areas, and geometrizations that are related to plastic structures of the shadow; in the case of Gheorghe Iacob, we are talking about large-scale compositions with airy, volatile, almost non-gravitational forms and chromatics that create the illusion of verticality. The works of Viorica Iacob, selected for this exhibition, belong to the opposite pole, proposing dense visual structures, with kneaded, telluric color, solidified, deeply gravitational compositions that are spiritualized by the presence of a discreet form of humility that is reflected both in the work and in the public presence of the artist.
The archive and the works of the two artists are protected and promoted today through the efforts of the IACOB Foundation, an organization established in 2017. The foundation’s purpose is to establish a private museum whose exhibition program will be dedicated to local or international artists, with a permanent collection which includes the work of the Iacobs.
Viorica Iacob (b. 1935, Găvănești, Buzău county) graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts “Nicolae Grigorescu” – 1956-1962 in Maria Buescu’s class, studying decorative art and painting in parallel. She has had an impressive exhibition activity since the 1960s, participating in numerous personal and group exhibitions both in the country and abroad. Viorica Iacob’s work includes monumental mosaic artworks, large tapestries, and easel painting, being considered a reference name in Romanian tapestry. The artist’s works can be found in national museum collections and private collections in the country and abroad.
Gheorghe Iacob (1925, Scutelnici, Buzău county – 2020, Bucharest) studied painting and sculpture at the Institute of Fine Arts “Nicolae Grigorescu” with the following teachers: Octavian Angheluță, Eustațiu Stoenescu, Nicolae Dărăscu, Al. I. Steriadi, M. H. Maxy, Camil Ressu and Al. Ciucurencu He was an exponent of a generation of extremely prolific artists who were constantly active between the 1960s and 2000s, being one of the artistic personalities recognized and appreciated by critics and the public. He approached different mediums, such as painting and graphics, sculpture, and monumental art, such as mosaics. In 2001, he was awarded the Union of Visual Artists from Romania prize, and in 2004, he was awarded the Order of “Cultural Merit” in the rank of Commander. Gheorghe Iacob’s works are preserved today in numerous museum collections in Romania, as well as in important national and international private collections.
Jacob Foundation
The IACOB Foundation is an organization established in 2017 to protect and promote the archives and works of the artists Gheorghe and Viorica Iacob. The foundation’s purpose is to establish a private museum whose exhibition program will be dedicated to local or international artists, with a permanent collection that includes the work of the Iacobs.
The activity of the IACOB Foundation will be centered around research programs dedicated to students, developing courses and educational activities for the informed public or the general public. The foundation proposes annual scholarships for specialists and artists to encourage criticism and the development of young artists. It will be part of an international network of cultural institutions, organize scientific communication sessions and conferences, and publish catalogs and articles centered around the archive and permanent collection.
