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The painting collection

Formation of the Collection

The patrimony of the Art Museum of Cluj-Napoca (founded in 1951) was established based on older collections and funds, the most significant being the "Virgil Cioflec" Pinacotheca collection and that of the Transylvanian Museum. The largest part of the Transylvanian Museum's collection (founded in 1859) was formed through noble donations and acquisitions, comprising 166 works of painting and graphic art by 1913. This collection included, among other things, pieces of medieval religious painting (icons and altarpieces, such as the Jimbor Altarpiece), European painting, Hungarian painting (18th century–first quarter of the 20th century, predominantly portraits and works by artists such as Munkácsy Mihály, Lotz Károly, Markó Károly, and some members of the Baia Mare School), and painting from Transylvania. In 1929, the fine art collection of the Transylvanian Museum was incorporated into the Institute of Classical Studies of King Ferdinand I University in Cluj. A few years later, a selection from this collection entered the patrimony of the Art Museum of Cluj through a transfer from the Cluj Branch of the R.S.R. Academy in 1971.

The lawyer and man of letters Virgil Cioflec (1876–1948) assembled a remarkable collection reflecting the trends in Romanian art from the second half of the 19th century to the late 1920s. In 1930, Cioflec donated a significant part of his collection to the University of Cluj: 2 sculptures by Dimitrie Paciurea, 2 prints, and 75 paintings and drawings (including: 24 works by Grigorescu, 19 by Luchian, 1 by Vermont, 1 by Pallady, 4 by Ressu, 4 by Iser, 4 by Tonitza, 1 by Rodica Maniu, 6 panels with studies and 4 works by Gabriel Popescu, and 2 by Paciurea). Based on this donation, the "Virgil Cioflec" Pinacotheca was established, housed in the building of the Institute of Classical Studies of the University. The pinacotheca’s collection was later enriched through further donations and acquisitions (some funded by money received by the lawyer as part of the donation), reaching 326 pieces by 1948, which became part of the newly founded Art Museum of Cluj in 1951. From the V. Cioflec collection come the 31 oil paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu and the 19 oil and pastel works by Ștefan Luchian, which today form part of the museum's permanent exhibition (National Gallery). This collection also includes representative works by Camil Ressu, Iosif Iser, Nicolae Tonitza, Anastase Demian, Aurel Ciupe, Lucian Grigorescu, and others.

The Art Museum of Cluj received artworks from the Art Museum of the R.S.R. (in 1954 and 1964) that included important 19th-century Romanian paintings and sculptures. Between the 1950s and 1980s, the museum’s patrimony grew with pieces from socialist realism and contemporary works due to the contribution of the Committee for Culture and Art under the People’s Council of Cluj Region. This cultural body acquired works from national and regional exhibitions, which were later transferred to the museum. In addition, the museum's collection expanded through occasional donations and solo exhibitions. Between 1952 and 1982, the museum had the financial means to acquire valuable paintings from private collections.

18th–19th Century Painting

In the second half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, portraiture was considered the most prestigious genre in painting in both Transylvania and Hungary, accompanied by a moderate interest in landscapes and genre scenes. From 18th-century Transylvanian painting, we know the portraits commissioned by members of the Transylvanian nobility (for example, the Gyulai, Rhédey, or Wesselényi families), as well as those of high-ranking clergy or wealthy burghers. Most of these portraits were painted by anonymous artists (Portrait of Franciscus Rhédey as a Child, 1759; Wife of Rődl András) or by foreign artists, especially Viennese. The Art Museum of Cluj-Napoca holds a significant collection of works by the Austrian-born painter Franz Anton Bergmann (c. 1760–1815), who settled in Sibiu and later in Cluj (after 1790), capturing members of the Gyulai, Pataki, Bánffy, and Brukenthal families.

The Neuhauser family of painters, Austrian in origin and settled in Sibiu, contributed immensely to the development of Transylvanian art through their treatment of landscape and genre scenes (Joseph Neuhauser: Uioara Castle, 1791), or through portraits set within a landscape (Franz Neuhauser the Younger: Portrait of a Woman from the Wesselényi Family, 1799). Among the Hungarian artists from Transylvania of that period, Boér Márton is represented in the museum's collection with two portraits.

After the first quarter of the 19th century, the Biedermeier style (of Viennese influence) emerged in the work of Barabás Miklós (represented in the museum by three oil portraits and several small-scale tempera works on ivory or porcelain), the Cluj drawing teacher Simó Ferenc (Portrait of Sombori Eszter, 1832), and the Oradea painter Mezey Lajos. The beginnings of Romanian easel painting in the first half of the 19th century are marked by artists such as Barbu Iscovescu and Constantin Daniel Rosenthal. From this period also date the works of the famous Hungarian landscape painter Markó Károly, which are part of the museum's collection (Italian Landscape, Mountain Road, Susanna at Her Bath).

By the mid-19th century, the academic style had entered Romanian and Hungarian painting thanks to artists who studied at art academies abroad (Vienna, Munich, Paris, Rome, Budapest, etc.). Romanticism also flourished during this period, and the Cluj museum's collection includes works by Hungarian landscape painters such as Brodszky Sándor (Saskő Fortress) and Keleti Gusztáv (Group of Trees), as well as those of Cluj-born Carol Popp de Szathmáry / Szathmári Papp Károly (Oriental Scene in oil, along with watercolors and lithographs).

The collection also includes works by the most important Romanian academic painters active in the second half of the 19th century: Constantin Lecca, Gheorghe Tattarescu, Mișu Popp, and Sava Henția. Among the renowned Hungarian academic painters represented in the museum's holdings are Székely Bertalan (Portrait of Mikó József’s Wife, Sunset), Madarász Viktor (Gabriel Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania, Among Scholars), Lotz Károly (Portrait of Cornelia, After the Bath), and Gyárfás Jenő (Self-Portrait and a series of portraits).

During this period, the most popular Transylvanian painters were Sikó Miklós (Self-Portrait, oil and watercolor portraits), Kőváry Endre (portraits), Veress Zoltán (genre scenes), and Sárdi István, joined by the Czech-born painter Melka Vince / Venceslav Melka (10 oil paintings and three sketchbooks), who settled in Cluj around 1870.

Starting in the 1860s, new movements and styles such as Realism and Impressionism challenged the dominance of academicism and contributed to the birth of modern painting at the end of the 19th century. In Romanian painting, the transition from academic style to a realist language is illustrated by the works of Theodor Aman (genre scenes, portraits, still lifes) and Nicolae Grigorescu (The Shepherdess, Ox Cart, landscapes, and still lifes, etc.), the museum possessing an impressive selection of their works. Similar tendencies can be seen in the works of contemporary Hungarian painters such as Munkácsy Mihály (Crying Children) and Mednyánszky László (Blooming Tree, Morning Atmosphere, After the Rain).

20th Century Painting (First Half)

In Romanian painting at the turn of the 20th century, significant transformations occurred as artists educated in Europe’s most prestigious institutions adopted and applied contemporary trends from modern art. The most important Romanian artists of this period, whose key works are held in the museum’s collection, include Ștefan Luchian and Octav Băncilă. From the interwar period, the collection includes works by Theodor Pallady, Gheorghe Petrașcu, Nicolae Tonitza, Camil Ressu, Ștefan Dimitrescu, Francisc Șirato, Ion Țuculescu, and Lucian Grigorescu.

The most notable Transylvanian painters active in the interwar period are also represented in the Cluj museum collection, with works by Tasso Marchini (portraits and still lifes), Pericle Capidan, Alexandru Popp, Elena Popeea, Emil Cornea, Hans Eder, Rudolf Schweitzer-Cumpăna, the Cluj master Szolnay Sándor, and the renowned pastel painter Nagy István (with over 15 works held by the museum).

The Baia Mare School

The Baia Mare School represented a distinct chapter in the development of painting in Transylvania at the turn of the 20th century and during its first four decades. The artists who passed through Baia Mare not only advanced Transylvanian art but also created a space for expression and interaction that impacted both the artistic and broader cultural life of early 20th-century Transylvania.

The museum’s collection includes works by Hollósy Simon, Thorma János, Réti István, Iványi Grünwald Béla, Ferenczy Károly, Glatz Oszkár, Szolnay Sándor, Nagy Oszkár, Mikola András, Tasso Marchini, Krizsán János, Koszta József, Jándi Dávid, Börtsök Sámuel, Ziffer Sándor, and others.

Painting from the 1945–1989 Period

The postwar paintings in the museum’s collection reflect, on one hand, the artistic production aligned with the formal and thematic requirements of socialist realism, and on the other, the new, progressive tendencies that emerged in Romanian art beginning in the 1960s. The collection includes several works by Romanian artists of this era (for example, Dumitru Ghiață, Henri Catargi, Alexandru Ciucurencu, Corneliu Baba, Nagy Imre), with a significant representation of artists from Cluj.

Some Cluj-based artists conformed to the standards of socialist realism (Ion Sima, Iosif Bene / Bene József, Kovács Zoltán, Petre Abrudan, Leonid Elaș, Cs. Erdős Tibor, Lucia Piso, Abodi Nagy Béla, etc.), while others developed a personal pictorial language still marked by the influence of socialist realist thinking: Aurel Ciupe, Alexandru Mohy / Mohi Sándor (Self-Portrait, New Apartment Blocks, portraits, urban and work scenes), Nagy Albert (Geese I, Miorița, Spring Rhapsody, urban scenes, genre scenes, portraits), Fülöp Antal Andor, Theodor Harșia, Kádár Tibor, Miklóssy Gyula, Constantin Dinu Ilea, and Mircea Vremir.

In Cluj art of the 1960s–1970s, several modernist initiatives took root, seeking alignment with contemporary Western art. Some artists incorporated elements of Surrealism (Tóth László, Cseh Gusztáv, Miklóssy Gyula), Metaphysical painting (Alexandru Cristea, Tóth Szűcs Ilona), Symbolism (Soó Zöld Margit), Kinetic and Op Art (Kancsura István), Hyperrealism (Nicolae Maniu, Cornel Brudașcu), Pop Art (Cornel Brudașcu), or Abstract Art (Kádár Tibor, Doina Hordovan, Maria Margareta Nemeș).

European Painting Collection

Though not uniform, the museum’s European painting collection includes works of both artistic and documentary interest, reflecting the broader European artistic milieu: Italian (Luca Giordano: 1632–1705, Carlo Dolci: 1616–1686), Austrian, German (Franz Defregger: 1885–1921), French (Jean Hippolyte Flandrin: 1809–1861, Félix Ziem), Russian (Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky: 1817–1900), and Flemish-Dutch (Herri met de Bles: 1480–1550).

Italian Painting

The painting collection of the Art Museum of Cluj includes 48 works previously attributed by researchers to the Italian School, many dating from the 16th to 18th centuries. Some of these were attributed to well-known names such as Luca Giordano, Carlo Dolci, and others. The majority of these paintings, however, were assigned to anonymous masters or to the circle, followers, or imitators of established artists. The compositions are often religious (e.g., Madonna and Child, The Holy Family, The Penitent Magdalene, Ecce Homo, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Jerome, or scenes from the Passion of Christ), mythological, allegorical, or historical. The style of these works reflects both Mannerist and Baroque influences, and they were likely produced in studios catering to collectors’ tastes and commissions. Despite the lack of documentation on their provenance, their consistent inclusion in noble or ecclesiastical collections in Transylvania indicates a continuous interest in Italian art and a complex cultural network that facilitated the circulation of these works across Europe.

Austrian and German Painting

The works attributed to the Austrian and German Schools are mostly 18th- and 19th-century pieces, representing a variety of genres including portraits, genre scenes, historical compositions, and still lifes. Among the artists represented is Franz von Defregger (1835–1921), a German painter known for genre scenes that idealize rural life in the Alps. He studied in Munich and later became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts there. Another work is attributed to Carl Schweninger the Elder (1818–1887), an Austrian painter recognized for his romantic and sentimental genre compositions. These works reflect the Biedermeier aesthetic and the historicism characteristic of academic painting in Central Europe. They were often purchased or commissioned by the urban bourgeoisie and nobility and reveal the alignment of Transylvanian collecting practices with broader European cultural currents.

French Painting

The French School is represented by a small number of works in the museum’s collection, many of which are copies or productions from the 19th century. Among these are paintings attributed to Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin (1809–1864), a student of Ingres, known for his religious and portrait painting in the neoclassical tradition. Another painting is attributed to Félix Ziem (1821–1911), a painter associated with the Barbizon School and known for his lyrical landscapes and Venetian views. The presence of these works in the collection illustrates the influence of French academic and Romantic painting in Transylvania and reflects a preference for decorative and emotionally engaging works in both private and institutional collections during the second half of the 19th century.

Russian Painting

The Russian School is represented by a work attributed to Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817–1900), one of the most celebrated marine painters of the 19th century. His works are known for their dramatic compositions, subtle chromatic harmonies, and virtuosic treatment of light and water. Aivazovsky painted thousands of seascapes, naval battles, and coastal scenes, and his fame extended throughout Europe, including the Habsburg Empire. The presence of one of his works in the Cluj collection may be tied to the fashion for collecting Orientalist and exotic-themed art, as well as the growing taste among the Transylvanian elite for internationally renowned artists of the time.

Flemish and Dutch Painting

The Flemish-Dutch School is well represented in the museum’s collection through works dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries, attributed to both named and anonymous artists. Among the notable attributions is Herri met de Bles (ca. 1510–after 1550), a Flemish painter known for his panoramic and imaginary landscapes, often populated with biblical scenes and detailed, symbolic elements. Other paintings include portraits, still lifes, and genre scenes, reflecting the artistic traditions of the Low Countries — meticulous in detail, rich in symbolism, and focused on themes of daily life and moralizing allegory. Many of these works were once part of private collections and demonstrate the prestige associated with Northern European painting, prized for both its technical refinement and its moral and intellectual appeal. Their presence in Transylvanian collections attests to a robust exchange of artworks via trade and cultural ties, particularly through major art markets in Vienna and other Central European cities.