The King’s House in Viscri announces the opening of the temporary exhibition “Captive between worlds” of Romanian personality George Matei Cantacuzino (1899-1960). A selection of more than 30 paintings, in oil and watercolour, are showcased in the reconverted barn of the traditional Saxon property in the UNESCO World Heritage Village Viscri, in Transylvania. The temporary exhibition remains open for visitors until the 31st of August 2024.
George Matei Cantacuzino was a Romanian personality marked by excellence: an architectural creator, a thinker of rare depth, a writer with a richly expressive style and a luminous painter. Born at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, caught between worlds, G.M. Cantacuzino came from an era of great spiritual effervescence, the world of La Belle Époque, but latterly he lived in a radically altered post war Romania. He was never able to leave the country due to many periods of imprisonment, but he always wished to be reunited with his wife and children, who had fled to England at the start of the war.
“The exhibition marks the anniversary of 125 years from G. M. Cantacuzino’s birth and is a necessary reminder of the image of a complex personality who, despite the vicissitudes, managed to remain a happy man, according to his own confession. A bridge through time, the connection with the family is restored. It is both a moral and obligatory gesture of restitution.”, says Mădălina Mirea, the curator of the exhibition.
G.M. Cantacuzino painted with eagerness and optimism, subtly describing the poetry of landscapes and the sea, convinced that the shadows of trees are nowhere bluer than in Moldavia. The harmony he found in the perspectives of the walls and towers of Iași inspired him and helped him ignore the greyness of his times. “His high spiritual cohesion made him choose Romania as a subject of reflection, devotion, and love, and to intuit its rare nobility and enormous potential. Thus, we find in his writings, in the houses he designed and in his watercolours, springs and resting places, arcades, flagstones and niches, painted with open eyes – the mark of his spirit, in equal proportions respectful and inquisitive.”, continues Mirea.
The exhibition is organised in collaboration with Ilinca Cantacuzino, the artist’s granddaughter, who, more than 20 years ago set on a journey to promote G. M. Cantacuzino’s legacy, both in Romania and abroad. “Showing the beautiful paintings of my grandfather at the King’s House gallery is hugely significant. It is a symbol of perfect symbiosis of our two countries, Romania and The United Kingdom. This holds a poignant resonance for our family, separated by both the war and the communist regime over so many years. By bringing G. M. Cantacuzino back to his country in the beautiful exhibition space of King Charles III, we discover that there is a healing of divisions through coming full circle”, declares Ilinca Cantacuzino.
The house in Viscri is open to the public until the end of October and continues to host the book and floral art exhibition The Transylvania Florilegium, as well as the permanent exhibition Preservation of historical roof coverings, made in partnership with the Monumentum Association and The King’s Foundation.
Viscri House
As tourists visiting Viscri have always been very eager to learn as much as possible about the connection that His Majesty, King Charles III has with the village, The King’s Foundation decided in 2021 to transform the house in Viscri into an open house that speaks about the king’s passion for traditional architecture, sustainable agriculture, the protection of biodiversity and the Romanian valuable cultural heritage.
The King’s House in Viscri is open for visitors every year, from April to October.
Address: Viscri 163, Brașov county, Romania.
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