During the Revolution of 1989, the building was affected
by fires and destruction, especially on the upper floors and in the central
wing. In 2000 the museum was reopened and became the main art museum in
Romania, with a patrimony of more than 100,000 works: painting, sculpture,
graphics, decorative art.
The National Art Museum of Romania is
organized in four permanent galleries.
The National Gallery
It is the largest and most important
collection of Romanian art, structured in the exhibition of Romanian Medieval
Art: icons on wood and glass, frescoes, manuscripts, embroideries, church
silverware (14th–18th centuries) and in the exhibition of Romanian Modern Art,
with painting and sculpture (19th–20th centuries), with works by: Theodor Aman,
Nicolae Grigorescu, Ștefan Luchian, Nicolae Tonitza and early works by
Constantin Brâncuși.
European Art Gallery
Contains Western art works from the
Middle Ages to the 20th century, mostly from the collections of the kings of
Romania (Carol I, Ferdinand, Carol II): Italian school – Tintoretto, Bronzino,
Alessandro Magnasco, Flemish and Dutch school – Rubens, Rembrandt, Jan van
Eyck, French school – Claude Monet, Eugène Delacroix, Spanish school – El
Greco.
Decorative Art Gallery
Includes objects of applied and
decorative art with pieces from the 16th–19th centuries: tapestries, furniture,
porcelain, glass, European goldsmithing.
The Oriental Art Gallery
The collection of Islamic art of the
National Art Museum of Romania includes more than 1400 pieces from Turkey,
Iran, Morocco, India, Central Asia and dating from the 7th to the 20th
centuries. The exhibits reflect the direct historical links between Romania and
the Ottoman Empire, providing an eloquent insight into the art of Islam and
the history of collecting Oriental art in Romania.
