The ninth Art Safari, which opened on May 12 in Bucharest, features a major retrospective exhibition of the works of Marcel Janco (1895-1984), the renowned Romanian and Israeli visual artist, architect and art theorist. Art Safari is the largest art fair held in România and is one of the most prestigious art fairs held in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Janco exhibit, created through an initiative of the Israeli embassy in Bucharest, showcases the work that he created in Romania and Israel. Janco emigrated to Israel in 1941, where he spent the remainder of his life until his death in 1984. More than a hundred works are included in the exhibition, many of them brought from Israel, but others culled from private collectors, museums and galleries. The exhibition will be on view until August 7.
Janco began his professional career as an architect and, together with his brother Jules, designed over 40 buildings. Janco was responsible for designing many prestigious projects in Bucharest, including the city’s central swimming pool, the largest swimming pool in Europe at the time, which was completed in just 25 days in 1929.
Janco co-founded the Dada art movement of the early twentieth century. The Janco exhibition includes 100 works from the Janco Dada Museum in Ein Hod, private collectors, museums and galleries in Romania.
The exhibition focuses both on the architectural aspect of Janco’s work and the way he looked at the landscape in Romania and Israel. The exhibition presents works from his teenage years, along with those he painted at the end of his life. It presents themes that were beloved by Janco, such as female nudity and portraits, abstract and realistic works, all in his unique style and with the intense color that characterized him throughout his life.
Ambassador of Israel David Saranga said, “We are proud of this collaboration through which the Romanian public can discover or rediscover Marcel Janco. Janco, together with other avant-garde Jewish artists, represents a living bridge between our peoples.”
The Art Safari runs until August 7.