Art Safari continues the series of recoveries of the great Romanian artists with the painter Constantin Artachino (1870-1954) through an exhibition organized together with the Bucharest Municipal Museum, curator Elena Olariu, and an immersive scenography created by Cosmin Florea, one of the most acclaimed theater scenographers from Romania.

The brilliant student of Theodor Aman (1831-1891), the best friend of Ștefan Luchian (1868-1916), Constantin Artachino is known as a master of portraiture and landscape, being fascinated by the oriental and Balkan culture of Dobrogea, which he often reproduced it on his canvases.

The exhibition is a deep foray into Artachino’s artistic universe, from the landscapes with lilies recreated in Art Safari, including on the olfactory level, to the Tatar culture rendered through ensembles of traditional objects and clothing, but also through music.

Constantin Artachino debuted under the auspices of Symbolism, taking influences from the Academism area and Post-Impressionism. His entire creation, however, remained under the sign of exquisite and balanced execution, in precise lines and contours, perfectly harmonized. The artist’s paintings often give the impression of monochrome in that the contrasts are significantly reduced to a single dominant color.

Due to his family’s origin (the port of Artachi, from the Sea of ​​Marmara, the Ottoman Empire), he was attracted to the Eastern and Balkan world. He painted a lot in Bulgaria, Sofia, Silistra and Balchik, and Dobrogea, from architectural elements to human figures and traditional clothing.
The works now in the exhibition come from museums all over the country and private collections.

Artachino’s fascination with the oriental world and Dobrogea with its multiple influences is visible in the Art Safari exhibition, not only in the paintings. Visitors can also admire objects and elements of traditional Tatar and Turkish clothing from the collection of the National Museum of the “Dimitrie Gusti” Village and the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant. Part of the artist’s studio has been recreated, including the easel the artist used for decades.

Also on display in Art Safari are rare objects from the Zestre collection: an old mosque lamp from the XIX, hammered and engraved copper, with colored glass applications, an ancient water mug, Transylvania, hammered and chiseled copper from the XVI-XVII, old Ottoman carpet, silk, Kayseri from the c. XIX, old Turkish rug, Kayseri, early century. XIX mercerized cotton on cotton warp.

Proof that collectors appreciated Artachino is also a postcard with a holographic signature sent by Anastasie Simu (1854-1935), a great collector and donor of works of art (founder of the museum that had his name) to the painter Constantin Artachino, in which he invited him to lunch. In the background, Dragoș Vărșăndan recited a chapter dedicated to Constantin Artachino from the book “That’s How I met him,” signed by Petre Oprea (1928-2011), a member of the criticism section of the Union of Visual Artists since 1960 and had the opportunity to meet and talk to some of the greatest Romanian artists.

“After we dedicated an exhibition to Theodor Aman, it was the student’s turn to shine: Constantin Artachino! In an exhibition that can be experienced with all the senses. The art of the 19th century comes to life with the help of technology, and visitors are invited directly to the lily garden that Artachino painted and to Dobrogea from his works—an exhibition of classic Romanian art to the liking of all generations. We want to thank all the partners who contributed to its realization: Cosmin Florea (set designer), Călin Țopa (sound design) and Andrei Cazacu (animation), the Bucharest City Museum, the National Art Museum of Romania, the National Museum of the “Dimitrie Gusti” Village, the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the National Museum of Old Maps and Books.” – Ioana Ciocan, CEO of Art Safari.

“Art Safari has become a phenomenon in the Romanian cultural landscape, towards which not only specialists turn, but all those who consider art as part of our everyday life… our daily bread, which nourishes not the body, but the soul. The National Museum of Dimitrie Gusti Village contributed to the last Art Safari exhibition dedicated to Constantin Artachino by inserting into the exhibition concept its vision of the artist, starting from the idea of ​​representing the Orient in his art and the portraits inspired by the Dobrogean population.

That small portion of Romania, where different people live together, became a source of inspiration for the artist. The National Museum of Dimitrie Gusti Village contributed with objects of Dobrogean provenance, with which they recreated/suggested the atmosphere Artachino created. The Turkish costume, the reconstruction of the oriental interior, the diaphanous flight of the borangic scarves, and the vivid chromaticism of the Dobrogean wipes completed the Art Safari recovery journey of this artist, forgotten lately.

And because Artachino is a master of the portrait, we have put alongside his paintings faces of Dobrogens, removed from the dust of time that we keep in the archive of the Village Museum. The photographs, the costume pieces, the fabrics, and the oriental interior helped revive/suggest the way of life from which Artachino’s art drew its sap.

The collaboration with Art Safari was new for us and the public. It completed the journey of discovery, the initiatory journey you make in the exhibition halls of the Dacia-Romania Palace for the recovery of this great artist, not only through his painting but also through objects taken from museum collections that are viewed in this context with others eyes and which, above all, sheds a clearer light on the artist’s creation.” – university conf. Dr. Paula Popoiu, General Manager of the National Museum of the “Dimitrie Gusti” Village.

“Walk between two worlds. It was as if, together with Artachino, I was lost amid the forest, following the scent of lilies and sounds I had never heard before. Nymphs and birds carried us to the banks of the Danube in Turtucaia, where you could hardly take your eyes off the people and their clothes. I then arrived in the artist’s studio where in a cold that froze any sound, I could see how the works on the salon walls gradually began to disappear. Where are they going? Who loves them now?” – Cosmin Florea, scenographer.

One of the most acclaimed theater scenographers in Romania, Cosmin Florea, has collaborated with essential directors from Romania and France, and in 2022 he won the Uniter Award for the best scenography. “The Forest of the Hanged” (directed by Radu Afrim) and “Exile” (directed by Alexandra Badea) are some of the plays representative of his universe.

Visiting schedule

Thursday-Sunday – 12:00-21:00.
Night Tours – every Friday and Saturday, 22:00-1:00 (exceptional guided tour experiences in all exhibitions and prosecco)
Tickets: artsafari. ro or directly from the entrance
Palatul Dacia-Romania, street Lipscani, no. 18-20, Bucharest

Art Safari Love Edition can be visited until September 10.

About Art Safari
Art Safari, supported by Glo, Lidl, BCR, Porsche, Schweppes, Kinder, Garanti BBVA, Rose Verite, Coccolino, Yamaha, and Asus, specializes in making exhibition pavilions. The annual organizer of the Bucharest Art Pavilion – the largest conglomerate of art exhibitions in Romania – now in its 12th edition, carries out extensive retrospective exhibitions in partnership with Romanian and international art museums and private collectors that propose the recovery of heritage values.
With a solid educational side, its mission is to bring art closer to the public and educate new generations by organizing art workshops for children, guided tours, and contemporary art exhibitions in unconventional spaces, such as Henri Coandă Airport or the Bucharest metro.
Art Safari is a strategic national cultural project supported by the Ministry of Culture. It is carried out with the Bucharest City Museum, the National Art Museum of Romania, and the Romanian Cultural Institute. The official Art Safari partner is BCR.
In the 11 editions so far, it has registered over 400,000 visitors.