Petre Antonescu (June 29, 1873 - April 22, 1965) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n architect. Over the course of a career that spanned the first half of the 20th century, he established himself as a leader in the field within his country, helping define a national style of neo-Romanian architecture.

Biography

Born in Râmnicu Sărat,Teodorescu, p. 381 he completed high school in

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 o ...

and entered the law faculty of Bucharest University. While there, he became close to important artists who were then grappling with the problem of how to define a specific Romanian art. By 1893, his new passion led Antonescu to abandon law and head to Paris to study architecture.Teodorescu, p. 382 In 1899, he obtained a degree in the field from the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

. He obtained six medals while a student and drafted the plan for a Romanian pavilion at the 1900 Exposition Universelle.Teodorescu, p. 383 In 1900, Antonescu was made honorific professor at Bucharest's

School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

, rising to full professor in 1903. He taught the history of architecture from 1900 to 1938, and was the school's rector from 1931 to 1938. According to a former student, he drew beautifully and spoke in short, clear, carefully chosen phrases. Antonescu was active in the realm of conserving and restoring historic monuments, participating in numerous projects during the interwar period. Together with

Gheorghe Balș Gheorghe Balș (April 24, 1868 – September 22, 1934) was a Romanian engineer, architect and art historian. Born in Adjud, Vrancea County, his parents Alecu Balș (1838-1894) and Roxanda Sturdza (d. 1878) were descended from prominent Moldavian ...

and

Nicolae Ghica-Budești Nicolae Ghica-Budești (December 22, 1869 – December 16, 1943) was an influential Romanian architect who helped define the Neo-Romanian style. He studied ancient monuments in Wallachia, writing four volumes documenting the architectural history ...

, he formed part of the historic monuments committee, helping create a scientific template for restorations. In 1912 and again from 1919 to 1921, Antonescu was president of the Romanian Architects' Society; he also led the Society of Professional Architects from 1926 to 1932. Elected 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 ...

in 1936, he was raised to titular status in 1945. In 1948, the new communist regime stripped him of Academy membership.

Păun Otiman Păun Ion Otiman (born 28 May 1942) is a Romanian agricultural scientist and economist, University Professor, member of the Romanian Academy, Romanian Senator and former Rector of the Banat University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Me ...

"1948–Anul imensei jertfe a Academiei Române"
in ''Academica'', Nr. 4 (31), December 2013, p. 122 He was granted the State Prize in 1952 for rebuilding and expanding the

Bucharest City Hall 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 ...

,Teodorescu, p. 395 and in 1958 was awarded the Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic, first class.Cristian Vasile, ''Politicile culturale comuniste in timpul regimului Gheorghiu-Dej'', pp. 81-2. Bucharest: Editura Humanitas, 2013. In 1927, he was made a corresponding member of the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fir ...

in Rome.

Achievements

Together with his predecessor

Ion Mincu Ion Mincu (; December 20, 1852 – December 6, 1912 in Bucharest) was a Romanian architect known for having a leading role in the development of the Romanian Revival style. Most of his projects are located in Bucharest, including his main works ...

, Antonescu helped define the existence of a national style in Romanian architecture, becoming a dominant force in the field during the first half of the 20th century. His most representative works are in Bucharest: the City Hall, the Marmorosch‐Blank Bank, the Brătianu complex, the Oprea Soare House, the Law Faculty Palace, the Student's Culture House, the

Crețulescu Palace Crețulescu Palace (''Palatul Crețulescu'' in Romanian, alternative spelling "Kretzulescu" or "Krețulescu") is a historic building near the Cișmigiu Gardens on Știrbei Vodă Street nr. 39, in Bucharest, Romania. It was built for the Crețulesc ...

, the Politehnica Society Palace (today the General Association of Romanian Engineers' headquarters), the Nicolae Iorga History Institute and

Arcul de Triumf The Arcul de Triumf (Romanian; "Triumphal Arch") is a triumphal arch located in the northern part of Bucharest, Romania, on the Kiseleff Road. The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence (18 ...

. Other works include the Craiova Administrative Palace, the Galați Orthodox Cathedral (together with Ștefan Burcuș), the Sinaia Casino and Hotel Palace, and the Palaces of Justice in

Botoșani Botoșani () is the capital city of Botoșani County, in the northern part of Moldavia, Romania. Today, it is best known as the birthplace of many celebrated Romanians, including Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga and Grigore Antipa. Origin of the na ...

and Buzău. Passionate about architecture, Antonescu designed over forty projects, most of which are historic monuments today. A student of

Julien Guadet Julien Guadet (1834–1908) was a French architect, theoretician and professor at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris. References 1834 births 1908 deaths Architectural theoreticians 19th-century French architects Officiers of the Légion ...

and a disciple of Mincu's, he helped shape the classical form of the national style. He sought and discovered valuable old monuments, recalling them in collections of sketches, watercolors and studies. Like Mincu, he believed that the past creations of Romanians could serve as a vast reservoir of inspiration, and drew on this as his main professional preoccupation.Teodorescu, pp. 383-84 While training under Guadet and

Edmond Paulin Edmond Jean-Baptiste Paulin (10 September 1848 - 27 November 1915) was a French architect. As a young man, he became known for his reconstruction of the Baths of Diocletian. Later he taught at the National School of Fine Arts, and designed pavil ...

, he began his career in the classically oriented academicism prevailing at their school, designing several important works in this spirit. Near the end of his life, Antonescu divided his own work into classical and Romanian architecture. He was the first to apply the neo-Romanian style at a monumental scale, for multilevel buildings with complex functions, defining his efforts as the start of a "local original style".Teodorescu, p. 384 The first book in which Antonescu presented his work was the 1913 ''Clădiri. Studii. Case. Biserici. Monumente. Palate. Încercări de arhitectură românească și clasică''. His monumental 1963 ''Clădiri, construcții, proiecte și studii'' is an ample presentation of his architectural record. ''Renașterea Arhitecturii Românești. Stilul Regele Carol al II‐lea'' appeared in 1939, under the National Renaissance Front regime. In ''Biserici nouă – proiecte și schițe'' (1942, re-edited 1943), he presented theories on the history of church architecture and the foundations of the Byzantine style.

Notes

References

* Sidonia Teodorescu
"Arhitectul Petre Antonescu (1873-1965)"
in ''Studii și comunicări'', vol. VIII/2015, pp. 381–96 {{DEFAULTSORT:Antonescu, Petre 1873 births 1965 deaths People from Râmnicu Sărat École des Beaux-Arts alumni Rectors of universities in Romania Romanian architects Titular members of the Romanian Academy Recipients of the Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic