Eclectic mix of Romanian and European art, old and new, goes on auction in Bucharest

Romanian auction house Artmark will be selling 500 Romanian and European art works over three evenings in Bucharest in mid-April. The first two evenings will be at the Athénée Palace Hilton, on April 16 and 17, while on April 18 the auction is at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel.

The auctions offer a wide range of pieces, grouped under six main themes: postmodern and contemporary art, sculpture and furniture, Art Nouveau and romance, military and antiques, painting and sculpture and curiosities. The first evening is dedicated to contemporary and post-modern art and includes John Tuculescu's Midnight Sun, estimated EUR 25,000 – EUR 45,000 and Romanian-English sculptor Paul Neagu's Edgerunner, estimated EUR 16,000 – EUR 22,000. Also up for sale is Dragos Burlacu's Understanding History (in picture), which depicts Romania's former communist tyrant Nicolea Ceausescu looking rather cheerful with a clown's nose. The following evening Art Nouveau and Romanian Romanticism & Biedermeier take center stage and included in the sale will be Ștefan Luchian's Primăvară (Două muze)/Spring (Two Muses), which is predicted to go for between EUR 100,000 and EUR 200,000. Military antiquities will also be on offer, including medieval German suits of armor and Japanese swords. The final night at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel features the biggest names in the auction, with works by the likes of Gustave Courbet, Albrecht Durer and Giovanni Battista. The starting price for works in the collection is EUR 169,000. The art works will be on show from April 9 and will be exhibited at the two venues on the days of the auctions. More details on theArtmark website. editor@romania-insider.com