Brancusi Day marked by EUR 40,000 screening while “Wisdom of the Earth” sculpture is still not displayed

On Brancusi Day celebrated today, as February 19 marks Constantin Brancusi’s birth date, his famous sculpture “Wisdom of the Earth“, for which the state launched a national fundraising campaign to collect money to buy the sculpture back from its current private owners, will remain locked in a box in a warehouse, away from the visitors’ eyes.

During all this time, the Culture Ministry is celebrating the iconic sculptor’s life and work by screening a 3D hologram and other ceremonies whose costs mounted to EUR 40,000.

The ministry is organising “guided tours in the Brancusi Hall” and “A Guided Tour for officials” at Romania’s National Museum of Art and a hologram screening event is scheduled tonight in the courtyard of the Royal Palace, at 7 p.m.

On the other hand, the highly disputed sculpture “Wisdom of the Earth” for which Romanian citizens teamed up to raise money so that it should return into the state’s property, will not go on display for the Culture Ministry has allegedly not paid the insurance of EUR 2,000 to exhibit the sculpture, as the owners’ lawyer has told Cultura la Dubă.

“Wisdom of the Earth” is owned by Paula Ionescu and Alina Serbanescu, the heiresses of Gheorghe Romascu.

The sculpture is currently in a warehouse in a secret location. The Romanian state doesn’t know where it is and it can neither find out.

The sculpture was on public display in the past 6 years, either at Cotroceni National Museum, or at the National Bank of Romania or the National Museum of Art.