A celebration of International Women's Day
In 2026, marking 150 years since the birth of Constantin Brâncuși, a founding figure of modern sculpture, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London dedicates a special season of events to his life and work. The second event in the Brâncuși 150 series is organised in celebration of International Women’s Day and brings to the fore a remarkable yet often overlooked chapter in cultural history: the decisive role of women in the creation of the Târgu Jiu Sculptural Ensemble, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024.
Organised in collaboration with the Târgu Jiu Municipality, the event highlights the civic, cultural and artistic contribution of the Women’s League of Gorj County, whose vision and determination made possible one of the most important monumental works of 20th-century art. Led in the late 1930s by Arethia Tătărescu, the League initiated and sustained the ambitious memorial project dedicated to the heroes of the First World War, inviting Brâncuși - himself a native of Gorj - to conceive a radically modern sculptural ensemble. The programme brings together an exhibition of traditional carpets and textiles inspired by the League’s original fundraising efforts and a roundtable discussion featuring art critic and writer Magda Cârneci and journalist and researcher Adina Andrițoiu, President of Arethia Tătărescu Women’s League of Gorj County, offering complementary historical, cultural and biographical perspectives on this exceptional civic and artistic achievement.
The evening will start with the roundtable moderated by Aura Woodward, Director of ICR London, and will be opened by introductory remarks from Adrian Tudor-Drăghici, Deputy Mayor of Târgu Jiu. The guests will then be able to visit the exhibition, which will remain open until 16 March and will be on show Mon-Fri from 10 AM to 4 PM.
BIOGRAPHIES
Magda Cârneci, writer and art critic, obtained a PhD in Art History from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris in 1997. She served as Director of the Institute of Art History in Bucharest between 1990 and 1992, President of the Board of the Soros Center for Contemporary Art (1998–2004), Editor-in-Chief of Artelier magazine in Bucharest (1998–2004), President of AICA România (2000–2005), Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute (2007–2010), and Associate Professor at the National University of Arts Bucharest (2012–2016). She is currently Editor-in-Chief of the visual arts journal ARTA. In addition to her publications in the field of visual arts, she has published several volumes of poetry: Hipermateria (1980), O tăcere asurzitoare (A Deafening Silence, 1984), Haosmos (1992), Poeme politice (Political Poems, 2000), and Poeme TRANS (2012). Her essay collections include Arta anilor ’80. Texte despre postmodernism (The Art of the 1980s: Texts on Postmodernism, 1996) and Poetrix. Texte despre poezie și alte eseuri (Poetrix: Texts on Poetry and Other Essays, 2002). Abroad, she has published Psaume (1997), Art et pouvoir en Roumanie 1945–1989 (2007), Trois saisons poétiques (2008), and Chaosmos (2013) in French; Chaosmos also appeared in Dutch (2004) and English (2006). Her poems and prose have been included in Romanian and international anthologies. She co-edited the collective volume Perspectives roumaines. Du postcommunisme à l’intégration européenne (2004). Also by the same author, published by Editura Polirom: Artele plastice în România 1945–1989 (with an addendum 1990–2010) (2013) and FEM (2011, 2014, 2021) — a novel nominated for the Romanian Writers’ Union Awards, the Augustin Frățilă Prize, the Radio România Cultural Awards, and the Observator cultural Awards; finalist for the PEN America Translation Prize 2022
Adina Andrițoiu is a journalist, researcher, and cultural manager based in Târgu Jiu, with over three decades of experience in the fields of culture, public communication, and heritage. She has been extensively involved in local and regional journalism, working as a television editor, editor-in-chief of a print publication, and contributor to several outlets, producing articles, interviews and documentary features dedicated to the history and identity of Gorj County. In parallel, she has held positions as an adviser and manager in public administration and cultural institutions, and has been directly involved in communication, event organisation, and cultural research, including at the Constantin Brâncuși Research, Documentation and Promotion Centre in Târgu Jiu. Her research has produced volumes, albums, and studies dedicated to local heritage and the work of Constantin Brâncuși, many of them published in bilingual editions. Among her recent works is the volume Arethia Tătărescu – O viață. Între dăruirea de sine și extrema suferință (Arethia Tătărescu – A Life: Between Self-Sacrifice and Extreme Suffering, 2026). She is actively involved in civic life, serving as President of Arethia Tătărescu Women’s League of Gorj County and of the Gorj-Mehedinți branch of the Association of Professional Journalists of Romania.
Free access, book HERE
When: 06 Mar 2026, 19:00 – 21:00
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH, UK
