George Oprescu (27 November 1881 – 13 August 1969) was a Romanian historian, art critic and collector. Born into a poor family, he developed a taste for the fine arts early in life, as well as for the French language, which he taught into his forties. Subsequently working for the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
, he turned his attention to art history, becoming a professor in the field at the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...
in 1931. He was also a museum curator and magazine editor, and in 1949 established the Institute of Art History, which he led for two decades until his death. His substantial private collection is now in the hands of various institutions, while his written body of work helped lay the foundation for art history to become a serious discipline in his country.
Biography
Education and schoolteaching
Born in
Câmpulung
Câmpulung (also spelled ''Cîmpulung'', , german: Langenau, Old Romanian ''Dlăgopole'', ''Длъгополе'' (from Middle Bulgarian)), or ''Câmpulung Muscel'', is a municipality in the Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is situated among t ...
, he was raised in a poor household and was marked by his mother's early death. Receiving support from several individuals
and earning top marks during primary school,
[Andrei, p.277] he went to the national capital
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
to attend
Matei Basarab High School,
living with the family of his classmate
Constantin Ionescu-Mihăești. He developed an artistic sensibility in these surroundings, rich with ''objets d'art'', paintings, books and valuable furniture.
Additionally, he cultivated a love of the French language, which permitted him to read numerous classic works in the original. His favorite teachers were the journalist and historian
Gheorghe Ionescu-Gion Gheorghe is a Romanian given name and surname. It is a variant of George, also a name in Romanian but with soft Gs. It may refer to:
Given name
* Gheorghe Adamescu
* Gheorghe Albu
* Gheorghe Alexandrescu
* Gheorghe Andriev
* Gheorghe Apostol
* ...
, who taught history and French; and the folklorist, literary historian and journalist
G. Dem. Teodorescu (Romanian language and literature). In the summer of 1900, together with other scholarship boys, he took a study trip to Greece under the supervision of
Grigore Tocilescu
Grigore George Tocilescu (26 October 1850 – 18 September 1909) was a Romanian historian, archaeologist, epigrapher and folkorist, member of Romanian Academy.
He was a professor of ancient history at the University of Bucharest, author of Mare ...
. That autumn, following Ionnescu-Gion's proposal, he was named a teacher at Matei Basarab, which allowed him to finance his studies at the Literature and Philosophy Faculty of the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...
.
It was during the following years that he deepened his appreciation for art, guided by
Ioan Cantacuzino
Ioan I. Cantacuzino (; also Ion Cantacuzino; 25 November 1863 – 14 January 1934) was a renowned Romanian physician and bacteriologist, a professor at the School of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University of Bucharest, and a titular member of ...
, a devoted collector of engravings.
Upon graduation in 1905,
he became a French language and literature teacher in
Giurgiu
Giurgiu (; bg, Гюргево) is a city in southern Romania. The seat of Giurgiu County, it lies in the historical region of Muntenia. It is situated amongst mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city ...
. In 1907, he transferred to
Traian High School in
Turnu Severin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. "Drobeta" is the name of the ancient Dacian and Roman towns at the site, and the modern ...
, remaining there until 1920, including a stint as principal. Among his pupils was the future literary critic
Șerban Cioculescu
Șerban Cioculescu (; 7 September 1902 – 25 June 1988) was a Romanian literary critic, literary historian and columnist, who held teaching positions in Romanian literature at the University of Iași and the University of Bucharest, as well as m ...
, who recalled him as a stern disciplinarian. During summer holidays, alone or with students and teachers, he would travel to art museums in Austria, Germany, Italy and France. He declared his support for the
1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt, and in January 1917, during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, after he had condemned the German occupation authorities, he was among sixty intellectuals and bureaucrats who were arrested in Turnu Severin. Afterwards, Oprescu was sent to Bulgaria, where he was interned in a camp before being freed several months later.
[Andrei, p.278] Subsequently, he became an associate professor at the
University of Cluj, which was located in a region that had come under Romanian jurisdiction with the
union of Transylvania with Romania
The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a national holiday in Romani ...
.
At Cluj, he continued to teach French language and literature, also establishing and leading an art history seminar.
While attending specialized courses in France, he became close friends with
Henri Focillon
Henri Focillon (7 September 1881 – 3 March 1943) was a French art historian.
He was the son of the printmaker Victor-Louis Focillon.
He was Director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. Professor of Art History at the University of Lyon, at t ...
, whose biography he later wrote, and whose letters to Oprescu were published posthumously.
[G. Oprescu: fondatorul]
at the George Oprescu Institute of Art History site
Professorate and Art History Institute
From 1923 to 1930, Oprescu served as secretary of the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
'
International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation
The International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation, sometimes League of Nations Committee on Intellectual Cooperation, was an advisory organization for the League of Nations which aimed to promote international exchange between scientists, r ...
(ICIC) in Geneva; and then of the Committee on Literature and Art until 1939, when he moved back to Romania. In 1931,
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga (; sometimes Neculai Iorga, Nicolas Jorga, Nicolai Jorga or Nicola Jorga, born Nicu N. Iorga;Iova, p. xxvii. 17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet ...
invited him to join the University of Bucharest's faculty, and he became chairman of art history there.
The appointment marked a turning point in art history's development as a discipline in Romania. His teaching, which reflected his research activities, laid a basis for future work in multiple topics. Aside from his teaching of Western art history, he established a course on modern Romanian art, although he steered somewhat clear of the 1920s avant-garde and modernist theory. From 1932 to 1942, he headed the Toma Stelian Museum, donating to it many of the artworks he had purchased both at home and abroad; the museum's collection later passed to the
National Museum of Art of Romania
The National Museum of Art of Romania ( ro, Muzeul Național de Artă al României) is located in the Royal Palace in Revolution Square, central Bucharest. It features collections of medieval and modern Romanian art, as well as the international ...
.
Together with
Ion D. Ștefănescu, he established and became co-editor of the review ''Analecta'' in 1942. Although only four issues were published from 1943 to 1947, it signaled a new direction toward subjects in European art and art theory in addition to modern and medieval Romanian art, as well as a less nationalist tone than that used by previous art historians. In 1948, after the establishment of a
Communist regime
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
, he became an honorary member of the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its byl ...
. From 1949 until his death in 1969, he headed the Academy's Institute of Art History, which he founded and which today bears his name. Although a pragmatic collaborator with the regime, he nevertheless hired marginalized or persecuted figures such as
Ion Frunzetti
Ion Frunzetti (1918–1985) was a Romanian art critic and historian. He was vice president of the Union of Fine Artists, head of the Literature and Arts Section of the Academy of Social and Political Sciences, professor at Bucharest
Buchares ...
,
Alexandru Paleologu
Alexandru Paleologu (; March 14, 1919 – September 2, 2005) was a Romanian essayist, literary critic, diplomat, and politician. He is the father of historian Theodor Paleologu.
Biography
Paleologu was born in Bucharest, into an ancient Romanian b ...
,
Remus Niculescu
Remus Niculescu (1927–2005) was a Romanian art historian. Due to his closeness to philosopher Constantin Noica, the Communist regime staged a show trial
A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already det ...
,
Emil Lăzărescu
Emil or Emile may refer to:
Literature
*''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life
*''Emil and the Detective ...
,
P. H. Stahl and
Pavel Chihaia
Pavel Chihaia (; 23 April 1922, Corabia – 18 June 2019, Munich) was a Romanian novelist. His first novel, ''Blocada'' ("The Blockade"), was published in 1947, shortly before the advent of his country's Communist regime. An opponent thereof, he ...
.
In 1961, he became one of a select group of individuals to have received the Communist state's second-highest honor, the
Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic
The Order of the Star of the Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Ordinul Steaua Republicii Socialiste România), from 1948 to 1965 the Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic ( ro, Ordinul Steaua Republicii Populare Române), was the se ...
, first class. During his time at the Institute, he promoted scientific research, archival and field work, and its endowment with books and documents that would later develop into a library. He also founded two journals, ''Studii și Cercetări de Istoria Artei'' and ''Revue Roumaine d'Histoire de l'Art''.
Work and legacy
In 1962, he donated a collection of 1400 drawings and 6000 engravings to the Academy. His private collection, held in his home in the
Cotroceni
Cotroceni is a neighbourhood in western Bucharest, Romania located around the Cotroceni hill, in Bucharest's Sector 5.
The nearest Metro stations are Eroilor, Academia Militară, and Politehnica.
History
The Hill of Cotroceni was once covered ...
neighborhood, was on display there until 1977, when his paintings, drawings, decorative pieces and folk art were given to the Museum of Art Collections, while his books went to the Institute. He also donated his Câmpulung residence to the Institute, and the building now serves to house visiting researchers. Although he began research into art history relatively late in life, in the early 1920s, his energy and longevity ensured a considerable output. Interested in a systematic approach to the subject, he also sought recognition for Romanian art abroad, publishing in France, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as commissioning translations for many of the works he published in Romanian.
At first focused on peasant art and on painters including
Gheorghe Petrașcu
Gheorghe Petrașcu (; 20 November 1872, Tecuci – 1 May 1949, Bucharest) was a Romanian painter. He won numerous prizes throughout his lifetime and had his paintings exhibited posthumously at the Paris International Exhibition and the Venice Bi ...
and
Ion Andreescu
Ion Andreescu (; 15 February 1850 – 22 October 1882) was a Romanian painter.
Biography
He was the son of Andrei Dobrescu and Anastasia Pencovico. It is unknown if he was born in Bucharest or in another one of his parents' residences in the vic ...
, in 1937 he published ''Pictura românească în secolul al XIX-lea'' ("Romanian Painting in the 19th Century"), the first integral account of the topic. Later, he wrote on subjects including drawing, painting, modern sculpture and European art history.
He published numerous studies and articles in domestic and foreign art history magazines, with the following popular publications also hosting his work: ''
Contemporanul
''Contemporanul'' (The Contemporary) is a Romanian literary magazine published in Iaşi, Romania from 1881 to 1891. It was sponsored by the socialist circle of the city.
A new magazine ''Contimporanul
''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of ...
'' (1951–1969), ''
Flacăra
''Flacăra'' (Romanian for "The Flame") is a weekly literary magazine published in Bucharest, Romania.
History and profile
''Flacăra'' was started in 1911. The first issue was published on 22 October 1911. The founder was Constantin Banu and ...
'' (1954–1969), ''
Luceafărul'' (1956–1966), ''Ramuri'' (1964–1969), ''
Revista Fundațiilor Regale
''Revista Fundațiilor Regale'' ("The Review of Royal Foundations") was a monthly literary, art and culture magazine published in Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern ...
'' (1944–1946), ''La Roumanie d'aujourd'hui'' (1963–1966), ''La Roumanie nouvelle'' (1954–1958), ''
Scînteia
''Scînteia'' (Romanian for "The Spark") was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history. The title is a homage to the Russian language paper ''Iskra''. It was known as ''Scânteia'' until th ...
'' (1954–1969), ''Scînteia Tineretului'' (1963–1968), ''
Universul
''Universul'' was a mass-circulation newspaper in Romania. It existed from 1884 to 1953, and was run by Stelian Popescu from 1914 to 1943 (with a two-year break during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbrevi ...
'' (1932–1947) and ''
Viața Românească
''Viața Românească'' (, "The Romanian Life") is a monthly literary magazine published in Romania. Formerly the platform of the left-wing traditionalist trend known as poporanism, it is now one of the Writers' Union of Romania's main venues.
Th ...
'' (1937–1940).
Oprescu was homosexual. In early 1959, he was summoned by police investigators looking into homosexual activity by a number of individuals, among them Oprescu's employee, the musicologist
Mihai Rădulescu and the latter's lover, the documentary filmmaker
Petre Sirin. According to Sirin's account, an irritated Oprescu entered the office announcing, "I am the academician George Oprescu!", to which the investigator answered menacingly, "Get out, you old whore! And come in only when I call you!" His face pale, Oprescu promptly exited.
[ ]Sorin Lavric
Sorin Lavric (born 27 November 1967 in Turnu Severin, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a Romanian writer, philosopher and politician. Having started studying medicine in 1987, Lavric later began studying philosophy as well. Posteriorly, as he d ...
"Warme Brüder"
, in ''România Literară ''România Literară'' is a cultural and literary magazine from Romania. In its original edition, it was founded on 1 January 1855 by Vasile Alecsandri and published in Iași until 3 December 1855, when it was suppressed. The new series appeared on ...
'', Nr. 40/2013
Notes
References
*Nicolae Andrei, ''Voievozi ai spiritului''. Editura Alma, Craiova, 2000,
*Petre Sirin, ''Castele în Spania. Cronică de familie (1949–1959)''. Editura Humanitas, Bucharest, 2013, 978-973-50-4031-4
*Corina Teacă, "In Search of National Traditions: Art History in Romania", in Matthew Rampley, Thierry Lenain, Hubert Locher (eds.), ''Art History and Visual Studies in Europe'', p.451-60. Brill, Leiden, 2012,
*Cristian Vasile, ''Politicile culturale comuniste in timpul regimului Gheorghiu-Dej''. Editura Humanitas, Bucharest, 2013,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oprescu, George
1881 births
1969 deaths
People from Câmpulung
Romanian art historians
20th-century Romanian historians
Romanian art collectors
Romanian magazine editors
Romanian magazine founders
Romanian museologists
Romanian schoolteachers
Honorary members of the Romanian Academy
University of Bucharest alumni
Babeș-Bolyai University faculty
League of Nations people
Romanian expatriates in France
Romanian expatriates in Switzerland
People deported from Romania
Romanian people imprisoned abroad
People extradited to Bulgaria
World War I civilian detainees held by Germany
LGBT people from Romania
Recipients of the Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic