Invenit / sculpsit. Italian Prints from the 15th and 16th century

The exhibition Invenit / sculpsit. Italian Prints from the 15th and 16th century comprises 44 prints, some of them the work of famous artists such as Andrea Mantegna, Marcantonio Raimondi, Giorgio Ghisi, Agostino Veneziano sau Lodovico Carracci.
The selection offers a comprehensive view of the development prints underwent during the Italian Renaissance. It also reflects the relationship between the engraved image and its primary source – the so-called ‘modello’, be it a drawing, a painting, a wall painting or even another engraving. ‘Invenit’ and ‘sculpsit’, the two words one so often comes across in prints, suggest the relationship between prototype and the engraved image; they celebrate both artistic creativity and technical accomplishment while suggesting the two features that give prints their specific character within the broader realm of “graphic art”.
The exhibition marks the recent publication of the complete catalogue of 15th and 16th century Italian prints in the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania.

Most of the prints included in the exhibition are from the Dr. Ion Cantacuzino collection. Initially donated to the Toma Stelian Museum, this was transferred in 1950 to the Art Museum of the Popular Republic of Romania. Dr. Ion Cantacuzino (1863 – 1934) was a medical doctor specialised in microbiology. He was the founder of the Romanian school for immunology and experimental medicine. Following his early debut as a collector during his study years in Paris, Dr. Cantacuzino grew into an erudite connoisseur of prints whose encyclopedic collection reached over 12,000 pieces. This consists mostly of prints but also of illustrated books and drawings which give a comprehensive overall image of the history of European prints.

Curators: Cosmin Ungureanu, Dana Crișan

European Art Gallery, first floor (temporary exhibition rooms)
18 April to 24 June 2018
Visiting hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00-18.00
Tickets: 10 lei
Free: every first Wednesday of the month
Catalogue (Romanian only): Gravura italiană din secolele XV-XVI & Școala de la Fontainebleau, MNAR, 2016 by Dana Crișan with the collaboration of Radu Bercea.