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In early October 2023, the
\nNational History Museum of Romania (MNIR) hosted the opening of the exhibition
\nCuza 150, marking 150 years since the death of prince Alexandru
\nIoan Cuza (1820-1873). Cuza was the first ruler of the Romanian United
\nPrincipalities and of the modern Romanian state. A major historical subject of
\nboth controversy and fascination, Cuza’s rule had a great impact on the
\ndevelopment of the Romanian state. Cornel Ilie, the deputy director of MNIR,
\nthe curator of the Cuza 150 exhibition, told us more:<\/p>\n
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The exhibition obviously
\ncelebrates 150 years since the death of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Like I’ve said on
\nprevious occasions, this is not just an exhibition about Cuza’s death. It
\nrather focuses on the life and activity of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Therefore, for
\nus, Cuza 150 was an opportunity to bring Alexandru Ioan Cuza back
\ninto the spotlight, given he is an iconic representative of our modern history.
\nHis name is tied to a major milestone in Romanian historiography – the Union of
\nthe Romanian Principalities, as well as to a series of events and actions with
\na key contribution to the emergence of modern Romania. Our exhibition speaks
\nnot only to Alexandru Ioan Cuza the ruler. Surely, parts of it focus on that,
\nbut it also speaks to the man he was. At one point I actually considered
\npicking a different name for this exhibition, for instance Cuza, man and
\nruler. Alexandru Ioan Cuza ultimately had all the makings of any man: a
\nman of many talents, certainly flawed, with weaknesses and passions of his own,
\nwith an entourage made of people of greater or lesser quality, although with
\nequal influence on his rule. Therefore, everyone who visits the exhibition will
\ndiscover all these different sides of Alexandru Ioan Cuza.<\/p>\n
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Cornel Ilie also told us how the
\nexhibition approaches these two different personae: Cuza the ruler, the
\npolitician, and the prince’s private life.<\/p>\n
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We tried to illustrate
\nthese two sides by means of a series of heritage items, each telling a story,
\nfor instance, about Alexandru Ioan Cuza’s family, his parents and rise to
\nprominence. They speak to who Cuza was before ascending to the throne, about
\nhis diplomatic career, about his stellar military career, because Cuza is
\nportrayed in full military uniform in every instance of this exhibition. He is
\nnever depicted in civilian dress, but always wearing military garb. <\/p>\n
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Cornel Ilie tells us more about
\nthe items on display: <\/p>\n
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There are certain
\nsymbol-objects, such as the two thrones of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza and his
\nwife Elena Cuza, thrones that had also been used by Charles and his wife
\nElisabeth until 1881, when they were crowned King and Queen of Romania. Also on
\ndisplay is the famous official portrait of Alexandu Ioan Cuza which we all know
\nfrom history books, painted by Carol Popp de Szatmari. A very interesting exhibit is the painting
\ndedicated to the Union of the Romanian Principalities, signed by Theodor Aman,
\nwhich is perhaps the most important painting dedicated to that historic moment.
\nWe have tried to identify all the people in the painting, so that visitors
\nshould know the names of all those who took part in this highly important event
\nin Romania’s history. The exhibition also includes objects that tell us, for
\nexample, about the agrarian reform, which was very important not only because
\nit meant that peasants received land, but because it was a moment that
\ngenerated some very important changes in the political life of the country.
\nThere are exhibits that remind of the establishment of the university in Ia\u0219i
\nand Bucharest, the first two universities on Romanian territory. There are also
\nvery interesting objects related to the implementation of the single weights
\nand measures system, given that up to that moment it had been a total chaos,
\neach province using different measurement units. Part of the exhibition are also
\nobjects that remind us of the military reform and of the outstanding
\nachievements during Cuza’s rule, when a number of vital institutions for the
\nfurther development of the country were established. Among them are cultural
\ninstitutions, science academies, visual art institutes and the Institute of
\nStatistics, established in 1860, when the first census was conducted. The first
\nweapon ever made in Romania, at the Romanian Arms Manufacture, is also
\ndisplayed. Then there are exhibits that, as I said, tell us about Cuza’s
\npersonal life, about the life of his wife Elena and their relationship and also
\nitems that touch on taboo topics, such as the relationship he had with Maria
\nObrenovici.<\/p>\n
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Cornel Ilie also told us his
\npersonal opinion on the exhibition: <\/p>\n
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It is an exhibition that, I
\nbelieve, has a different approach from what others may have seen related to
\nCuza before. It is an exhibition worth visiting also due to the fact that we
\nput together items collected from several museums in the country. I believe
\npeople could better understand this complex and admirable historical
\npersonality, by visiting the exhibition at the MNIR. (VP\/EE)<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A commemorative exhibition providing insight into the life and career of prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":588198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44685],"tags":[29828,32349,116733],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-622376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-of-culture","tag-alexandru-ioan-cuza","tag-exhibition","tag-national-museum-of-history"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n