Top Romanian Contemporary Artists in Upcoming Artmark Auction

An investment opportunity is coming up next week in Bucharest, Romania. It’s the only autumn contemporary art auction, traditionally held in November, where art lovers and savvy investors have access to the list of the most prominent contemporary Romanian artists. Their works often fetch tens or even hundreds of thousands, and sometimes even millions of euros.

The “Post-War and Contemporary Art Auction, including a collection guided by Maestro Ciucurencu,” features 186 artworks created by the most important contemporary Romanian artists, well-recognized both nationally and across Europe. Some of these artists have already successfully auctioned their works at prestigious foreign auction houses.

Encouragingly for new collectors, the event also brings forward young artists of today’s generation whose market is growing each year. This makes investing in contemporary art not only a way to diversify financial portfolios but also an opportunity to stay up-to-date with the artistic evolution of Romanian art.

One of the most sought-after painters of our time, Adrian Ghenie, has made a significant impact on the international art market in the past decade. His transactions have reached constant records, with some exceeding millions of euros. While many of his creations are in the hands of foreign collectors, next week’s auction offers the Romanian public a chance to acquire a work created by the famous artist in 2002, starting at only 30,000 euros.

At the same starting price, there is a large oil painting signed by the master Ștefan Câlția, one of his most recent creations from 2022. The painting captures the mythical moment of Icarus’ fall, featuring Câlția’s well-recognized symbolism. Being a favorite among the public with a substantial community of admirers and collectors, Câlția also presents another work, “Man with a Flower,” created in 1986, starting at just 5,000 euros.

The auction also showcases the founders of the two major directions in post-war Romanian art – Alexandru Ciucurencu and Corneliu Baba, with significant works. This includes a spectacular “Man with a Spoon” by the humanist expressionist Corneliu Baba and no less than 7 works by Alexandru Ciucurencu. Notably, Ciucurencu’s piece “House of Creation” illustrates the view he had from his studio’s window in the 1980s, providing a glimpse of the Kiseleff Boulevard building that later became a diplomatic protocol venue, hosting high-ranking political figures such as Traian Băsescu, Adrian Năstase, and Nicolae Văcăroiu in recent decades.

Three works created by Sabin Bălașa in the post-1989 era are also up for auction, namely “In Love” (1990), “Goddess of the Moon” (1993), and “Nude in the Moonlight” (1993). Bălașa, with his blue universe, captured the hearts of successive generations of admirers. In the past ten years, his market share has begun to rise once more, with works signed by Sabin Bălașa fetching higher prices than those sold in his gallery during his lifetime.

Among the new generation of artists, Felix Aftene makes an appearance in the auction with a prominent bronze sculpture titled “Cronos” and one of his most recent paintings, “In the Mysteries of Nature,” starting at 8,000 euros.

For those looking for young, emerging art, there’s the opportunity to encounter Irina Dragomir, the phenomenal artist who has taken the contemporary art scene by storm in recent years, with two works created in 2021 and 2022 starting at 1,500 euros and 2,000 euros, respectively.

Considered a benchmark event for the post-war and contemporary art scene, the auction will take place next Tuesday at the Cesianu-Racoviță Palace auction hall, starting at 7:00 PM. The exhibition is open to the general public from Monday to Sunday, between 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM.