Tapestry made by Romanian visual artist donated to UNESCO

The tapestry "Airplanes and Angels" ("Avioane şi îngeri") made by the well-known visual artist Mircea Cantor was donated to UNESCO on the 65th anniversary of Romania's accession to the United Nations.

The tapestry is the first Romanian art donation in 67 years that is permanently exhibited in the main hall of UNESCO, adjacent to iconic works of contemporary world art such as Pablo Picasso's "The Fall of Icarus" and Alberto Giacometti's "The Walking Man,” according to News.ro.

The ceremony was attended by UNESCO's director-general Audrey Azoulay, the chief of the Romanian prime minister’s Chancellery, Alexandru-Mihai Ghigiu, state secretary in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Janina Sitaru, as well as the artist himself. The inauguration was also attended by numerous heads and representatives of Permanent Delegations accredited to UNESCO, distinguished members of the French cultural and artistic circles, and the Romanian community.

"It is a source of pride for our organization to enrich its art collection with a work by Mircea Cantor. This tapestry represents the common commitment of UNESCO and Romania to support artistic creation and preserve traditional values. In fact, this piece is based on traditional bark-making techniques, which have been inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List since 2016,” said UNESCO’s director-general Audrey Azoulay.

Mircea Cantor is one of the most renowned and appreciated contemporary visual artists. His highly original and modern works, while rooted in Romanian ancestral traditions, are present in the collections of prestigious museums around the world, such as the Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, MoMA - New York, Museo Reina Sofia - Madrid, Walker Art Center - Minneapolis, Rennie Collection - Vancouver, Castello di Rivoli - Torino, and many more.

The artist said that the tapestry was based on the idea of flight, which followed him from childhood fairy tales to the Romanian aviation pioneers Aurel Vlaicu, Traian Vuia, and Henri Coandă.

The donation of the tapestry marks “a recognition of the central importance of UNESCO in the current architecture of multilateral cooperation in a complex global context. It also represents Romania's attachment to the values of multilateralism, manifested through an increased profile within UNESCO, as an active part of the organization's ambitious initiatives in major relevant fields, such as the protection of cultural heritage,” said state secretary Janina Sitaru.