To mark the 150th anniversary of Constantin Brâncuși’s birth, European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu hosted the exhibition ”The Infinite of Brâncuși” at the European Parliament, celebrating one of Romania’s greatest cultural figures while promoting the country’s cultural heritage as an integral part of Europe’s shared cultural legacy.
The initiative received strong support from the leadership of the European Parliament. President Roberta Metsola thanked Victor Negrescu for bringing the exhibition to Brussels and praised Brâncuși as ”a visionary and an innovator, a pioneer of modern art” whose work continues to inspire generations. She also highlighted the artist’s unique contribution to Europe’s cultural identity.
”Though he was proudly Romanian, he was also a proud European. He took everything his homeland had given him, its stories, its traditions, its light, and carried it across our continent, so that today you could say a piece of Romania belongs to all of us”, EP President Roberta Metsola stated in the video message.
Reflecting on one of Brâncuși’s best-known thoughts – that seeing far is one thing, but getting there is another – President Metsola underlined that the artist transformed vision into reality through talent, perseverance and imagination, describing these as values that continue to inspire the European project today.
European Parliament Vice-President and member of the Parliament’s Artistic Committee, Katarina Barley, also welcomed the initiative and thanked Victor Negrescu for bringing the exhibition to Brussels.
”There is something particularly fitting about honouring Brâncuși in the European Parliament because his life and work embody the values that define Europe today”, she added.
The exhibition featured photographs, archival materials and an immersive experience introducing visitors to the Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only large-scale public monumental ensemble created by Brâncuși. Visitors were also able to view an original postcard bearing one of the artist’s earliest sketches of the Endless Column, offering a rare insight into his creative process.
The event brought together Members of the European Parliament, UNESCO representatives, diplomats, local authorities and leading cultural figures, highlighting the broad European interest in Romania’s cultural heritage.
During the opening, Victor Negrescu stressed that Brâncuși’s legacy belongs not only to Romania but also to Europe and to humanity as a whole.
”Brâncuși does not belong only to Romania. He belongs to Europe; he belongs to the shared heritage of humanity and of the world. Celebrating the Brâncuși Year in the European Parliament is also a celebration of a European Romania, a Romania that contributes to our common heritage, values its identity and embraces its role as a promoter of culture, dialogue and memory”, the EP Vice-President noted.
Victor Negrescu also recalled that the inclusion of the Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu on the UNESCO World Heritage List represents an important international recognition of Brâncuși’s legacy. Through this initiative, he sought to bring Romania’s outstanding cultural heritage to the attention of a European audience and to reaffirm that Brâncuși’s work demonstrates how values rooted in local identity and traditions can become universal landmarks, inspiring generations and enriching Europe’s shared cultural heritage.
