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This spring, Bucharest becomes the setting for a symbolic reunion with the life and work of one of Olt County\u2019s most important folk creators. On Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 12:00 PM, the temporary exhibition of photography, sculpture, and books \u201cThe Carver of Thoughts\u201d will open at the \u201cDimitrie Gusti\u201d National Village Museum, in the H.H. Stahl Foyer Hall, dedicated to the memory of sculptor and collector Nicolae M. Nica.<\/p>\n
The event marks 109 years since the artist\u2019s birth (February 7, 1917) and takes place within a double anniversary context: 90 years since the founding of the Village Museum and the celebration of 150 years since the birth of Constantin Br\u00e2ncu\u0219i, with 2026 officially declared the \u201cBr\u00e2ncu\u0219i Year.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Destiny Linked to Ethnographic Museums<\/strong><\/p>\n The presence of the exhibition at the Village Museum is no coincidence. In 1936, the young Nicolae M. Nica worked here as a carpenter, a craft he had learned from his father. In his autobiographical book \u201cThe Enchanted Ciochia\u201d, the artist recalls the moment when, on the museum construction site coordinated by Dimitrie Gusti, he discovered the profound meaning of tradition and beauty. This experience would permanently shape his artistic path, which continued to develop after the Second World War.<\/p>\n For a period settled in Pite\u0219ti, he attended the Popular School of Arts, Sculpture Department. He became a valued collaborator of the Gole\u0219ti Museum, whose director at the time, Mr. Vasile Novac, encouraged him to remain and work there. Nicolae M. Nica respectfully declined, stating: \u201cIf I remain here, I will never be able to equal the Br\u0103tianu family, Gole\u0219ti, Izvorani, or Rebreanu. So, Mr. Director, please allow me to return to my native village, Chilia, and try to place it somewhere on the cultural map.\u201d<\/p>\n An Impressive Cultural Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n Born in the village of Chilia, F\u0103ge\u021belu commune, Olt County, Nicolae M. Nica was a sculptor in wood and bone, creating works carved from a single piece of material, without joints, remarkable for their symbolic strength and philosophical depth. His themes \u2013 \u201cEternity,\u201d \u201cThe Union,\u201d \u201cThe Lesson of Life,\u201d \u201cThe Hora,\u201d \u201cMiori\u021ba,\u201d \u201cSacrifice\u201d \u2013 capture the essence of the Romanian village and its core values.<\/p>\n In 1979, the artist founded the Chilia Village Museum, which he donated to the state in 1994; today it stands as an important regional cultural landmark. A member of the Academy of Traditional Arts of Romania and an Honorary Citizen of Olt County, Nicolae M. Nica remains a model of dedication to Romanian heritage.<\/p>\n His sculpture is distinguished by verticality, balanced compositions, and an expressive stylization of the human figure, carved from a single piece of wood, with incisions and carved details that animate the surface. Themes inspired by village life and history transform his characters into symbols of identity and traditional dignity. Although close to the register of na\u00efve art, his creation transcends decorative dimensions, proposing sculpture of symbolic and reflective depth.<\/p>\n The Contribution of the Gole\u0219ti Museum \u2013 An Essential Partner<\/strong><\/p>\n A major role in the realization of the Bucharest exhibition is played by the Gole\u0219ti Museum of Viticulture and Fruit Growing, which holds in its collections more than 30 works signed by Nicolae M. Nica.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Gole\u0219ti Museum contributes to the exhibition with a representative selection of sculpted panels previously presented to its own visitors. The works preserved in our museum\u2019s collection illustrate the thematic diversity and expressive strength of Nica\u2019s creation, ranging from historical and allegorical compositions to scenes inspired by rural community life.<\/p>\n Through its involvement, the Gole\u0219ti Museum not only valorizes its own heritage but also actively fosters dialogue among museum institutions in Arge\u0219, Olt, and Bucharest, consolidating a cultural network dedicated to promoting representative folk creators. This initiative continues the museum\u2019s mission to preserve and bring to public attention personalities who have shaped Romanian cultural identity.<\/p>\n Photography, Document, and Memory<\/strong><\/p>\n The exhibition brings together sculptures from the collections of the Olt County Museum \u2013 Chilia Village Museum Section \u2013 and the Gole\u0219ti Museum, photographs taken by Valeru Ciurea, books published by the artist, and personal documents from the family collection.<\/p>\n Together, they offer a complex insight into the universe of Nicolae M. Nica \u2013 not only as a master woodcarver, but also as a thinker, collector, and guardian of the Romanian village\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Carver of Thoughts\u201d exhibition can be visited at the \u201cDimitrie Gusti\u201d National Village Museum between February 22 and March 22, 2026, offering the public the opportunity to discover or rediscover the work of an artist who transformed tradition into destiny and wood into a reflection on Romanian identity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Curators: Valeru Ciurea & Ion Ti\u021ba Nicolescu<\/p>\n Text author: Camelia C\u0103lin<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This spring, Bucharest becomes the setting for a symbolic reunion with the life and work of one of Olt County\u2019s most important folk creators. On Sunday, February 22, 2026, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evenimente"],"yoast_head":"\n