MuseScope.
National Museum of Art of Romania

National Museum of Art of Romania

Bucharest, Romania · Website

The story

The National Museum of Art of Romania lives in the former Royal Palace on Revolution Square in Bucharest, and the square's name is written into the building. In December 1989, as the Ceaușescu dictatorship fell in days of gunfire, the palace stood in the crossfire. Shells and bullets tore into it, hundreds of works were damaged or destroyed, and the museum closed for about a decade to recover.

Reopened room by room after 2000, it holds two great collections. One is Romanian, medieval church art and icons, some rescued from monasteries the regime had demolished, and the national school of modern painting. The other is European, gathered by the Romanian kings, with a Rembrandt, an El Greco and works by Rubens and Brueghel.

Pockmarks from 1989 are still visible on the outside walls, left as they are, so the building carries its own recent history on its skin.

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Collection

121 works
PeasantsPeasantsApcar Baltazar, 1907PietàPietàBramantinoPortrait of a Female DonorPortrait of a Female DonorHans Memling, 1490Portrait of a little girlPortrait of a little girlNicolae GrigorescuPortrait of a Male DonorPortrait of a Male DonorHans Memling, 1490Portrait of a ManPortrait of a ManChristoph Amberger, 1550Portrait of a Noblewoman and sonPortrait of a Noblewoman and sonBartolomeo PassarottiPortrait of an old woman with dogPortrait of an old woman with dogAnton Chladek, 1850Portrait of a Woman with a DogPortrait of a Woman with a DogTheodor Aman, 1862Portrait of cardinal Marco GalliPortrait of cardinal Marco GalliGiovanni Battista GaulliPortrait of Giovanna Spinola PavesePortrait of Giovanna Spinola PavesePeter Paul Rubens, 1606Portrait of King Ferdinand I of RomaniaPortrait of King Ferdinand I of RomaniaPhilip de László, 1936Portrait of Queen Marie of Romania, née Princess Marie of EdinburghPortrait of Queen Marie of Romania, née Princess Marie of EdinburghPhilip de László, 1936Portrait of Romanian poet Alecu VăcărescuPortrait of Romanian poet Alecu VăcărescuAnton Chladek, 1850Portrait of the Painter SimonidyPortrait of the Painter SimonidyConstantin Pascali, 1890RailwayRailwayArthur Segal, 1910Rest on the Flight into EgyptRest on the Flight into EgyptCornelis van HaarlemReturn of Saint GeorgeReturn of Saint GeorgeBernardino LuiniReturn of the Prodigal SonReturn of the Prodigal SonBernardino Licinio, 1550Rocks and Birch TreesRocks and Birch TreesIon AndreescuSaint BarbaraSaint BarbaraBartholomäus ZeitblomSaint BlaiseSaint BlaiseFrancisco de ZurbaránSaint Catherine of AlexandriaSaint Catherine of AlexandriaBarbara LonghiSaint Catherine of AlexandriaSaint Catherine of AlexandriaBartholomäus ZeitblomSelf-portraitSelf-portraitIon Andreescu, 1882