“Brancusi is Mine” – A campaign for “The Wisdom of the Earth”

The Romanian Government and the Ministry of Culture have officially launched the campaign for supporting a national subscription to purchase Constantin Brancusis work “The Wisdom of the Earth.

Leyla Cheamil, 20.05.2016, 13:38

“Brancusi is Mine” is the title of the campaign supporting the national subscription for the purchase of Constantin Brancusi’s work “The Wisdom of the Earth”, which was officially launched on Thursday by the Romanian Government and the Ministry of Culture. Currently owned by the successors of architect Gheorghe Romascu, the one who bought it from Brancusi in 1911, the sculpture is the last that the Romanian state can still recuperate and make available for art lovers and the public at large.

In the past years, several works by the great Romanian sculptor have been purchased by private collectors. The campaign for the purchase of “The Wisdom of the Earth” is aimed at collecting contributions from the Romanians who are interested in recovering the national heritage. 6 million Euros will have to be gathered by September 30th, adding to the 5 million that the Government has already earmarked for the purchase.

Therefore, via the biggest online retailer, Romanians can virtually buy ‘“The Wisdom of the Earth” by donating money to the company’s account. This is one of the most important national projects aimed at strengthening solidarity between state and society, and its goal is to recover a major component of the national cultural identity, the Government has stated in a press release. “Visions, life and values separate us in our every-day lives, but a nation’s cohesion can be seen in key moments such as this one.

The same happened with the national subscription for the building of the Romanian Athenaeum 130 years ago”, said Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who launched an appeal to all Romanians to individually assume national values. “I would like Brancusi to bring us together, not to set us apart”, the PM also said.

Many public figures have already announced their support for the initiative and have accepted to appear in promotional materials. The famous Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, tennis player Ilie Nastase and the French Ambassador to Bucharest Francois Saint-Paul are just some of them. Therefore, the fate of Brancusi’s “The Wisdom of the Earth”, currently on display at the Cotroceni National Museum, is in Romanians’ hands.

This work, made in 1907, alongside other pieces such as “The Kiss” or “Prayer”, marks the most appreciated creative period in Brancusi’s life. He used to say about “The Wisdom of the Earth”: “it was my attempt to reach the bottom of the sea with my forefinger. Because I was terrified when I lifted the veil. A woman should never be unveiled. Isis must remain covered in at least one of the seven veils of its beauty, the one of mystery, which renders her precious and immortal. To me, “The Wisdom of the Earth” was what a woman has the most profound in her, beyond your psychology” Brancusi also said.