A Paper Journey - from Modern to Contemporary presents a selection of artworks that share a simple characteristic, they all began with a white page. Both the fragility of the medium and the absence of colour that white is, stands as a symbol of peace, rebirth and hope. Through 115 lots, collectors and art lovers will encounter a meaningful panorama of drawing and its evolution in Romania in the last one hundred years.
Among the most important pieces of modern art featured in the auction are the marine landscape drawn by Ștefan Popescu and presented at the Venice Biennale in 1936 and the charming landscape of a Tatar village realized by Ștefan Dimitrescu and mentioned in his monography by Ionel Jianu. Rare finds in this auction are also two drawings by Corneliu Baba, from the artist's private collection and a premiere on the market, a rare watercolour executed by Victor Brauner in 1953, depicting a landscape from the South of France - only a few of such subjects can be found in his oeuvre - which served as a sketch for a painting. Other featured works by the same artist include Sign (1963), a serigraphy with painted interventions and three lithographs from the Codex d’un visage series executed in 1962. There are also various lithographs by Stefan Câlția in this auction, some pieces from the 1980s and some recent ones from his Plants series.
For lovers of colour, the auction features two delightful drawings by Spiru Chintilă from the 1980s, full of optimism and energy. Corneliu Brudașcu is also present among the masters on display, with two delicate watercolours that herald spring, depicting lilacs and irises.
Internationally acclaimed artist Mircea Cantor, known for his work in a variety of media, is represented in this sale with the work on paper Words are Ropes (2016) an ode to the simplicity and multiplicity of a rope's uses, suggested by the repetition of its motifs. Another Romanian artist of international renown, Mircea Suciu, is represented with a charcoal drawing of a faceless, surrendered man, typical of the artist.
Nicolae Romanițan, a young interdisciplinary Romanian artist, is represented with four drawings, all taken from a series of reproductions of 16th-century Flemish artist Pieter van der Borcht's monkey scenes, in which Romanițan intervenes with his own references to the modern world, such as skyscrapers or computers.
Not to be missed is Răzvan Năstase’s very fresh - made in 2023 - and visually spectacular artwork 4 graces, a 230 × 215 cm modular work made on cyanotype on paper, inspired by Botticelli's "Three Graces" or Antonio Canova's sculpture of the same name. With a touch of humour, this poignant image questions the standards of beauty in our time. The artwork was exhibited as part of a group show in Los Angeles at Durden and Ray.
