The National Museum of Art of Romania was founded in 1948 with works drawn from local private and public collections, as well as from the royal collection. It has been housed ever since in the former royal palace situated at the heart of Bucharest.
The royal palace was the official residence of German Prince Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (since 1881 King Carol ...
Read moreI of Romania), who was brought in to rule the Romanian Principalities in 1866. Between 1882 and 1906 King Carol I remodels and enlarges the palace. To this end he hires French architect Paul Gottereau and German architect Karl Liman (also involved in the Peleº Castle project). By 1906 the palace becomes the winter residence of the Royal Court. In December1926 a fire destroys the central part of the palace and the Throne Hall. King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie (granddaughter of Queen Victoria and of Tsar Alexander II of Russia) undertake to reconstruct the affected area retaining the original size and decoration of the rooms. In 1930 - 1937 King Carol II embarks on rebuilding and extending the palace. The restoration of the central part is completed. Closely following the king’s instructions, architect N.N. Nenciulescu designs a new south wing of the palace, which has remained virtually unchanged to this day, and which includes several rooms devoted to the display of the royal collection (mostly of the Picture Gallery of King Carol I). Following the abdication of King Michael I (in 1947) and the communist takeover, the royal palace is nationalized in June 1948. It is to be jointly used by two institutions - the Council of Ministers and a national museum of art whose project dates several years back.
The Museum is home to the largest and finest art collection in the country. The current holdings, which include more than 100,000 works, are divided into six curatorial departments: Romanian Medieval Art, Romanian Modern Art, European Paintings and Sculpture, Drawings and Prints, Decorative Arts and Oriental Art.
There are two main galleries open to the public: The European Art Gallery and The National Gallery which comprises The Romanian Medieval Art Gallery (also including a Thesaurus) and The Romanian Modern Art Gallery.
The National Museum of Art of Romania also runs other three museums in Bucharest: The Art Collections Museum, K.H. Zambaccian Museum and Theodor Pallady Museum.
