Restoration of heritage

From the beginning of the restoration process and until the restoring into the exhibition or scientific circuit, the patrimony assets go through a series of obligatory phases that require specialized knowledge (restoration theory, chemistry, biology, physics, art history etc.), a lot of experience, minuteness and patience in working to make a piece whole again. Often the research goes deep into even the molecular structure of the substances that make up the art piece.

Over the course of 2012 eight paintings from the museum’s patrimony were restored: Nicolae Grigorescu, Haystack; Ștefan Luchian, Flowers and Cup (Cornflowers); Mednyánszky László, Morning Atmosphere (Landscape); Iványi Grünwald Béla, Landscape with a Mill; Barabás Miklós, Kemény Zsigmond’s Portrait; Maticska Jenő, Winter Landscape; Szopós Sándor, Self-portrait; Gyárfás Jenő, Kovács Sándor. In 2013 the restorations continued, nine paintings were restored: Ziffer Sándor, Buffaloes; Henția Sava, Male Nude; Ács Ferenc, Woman’s Portrait (The painter’s wife); Miracovici Paul, Still Life; Capidan Pericle, In Sighișoara; Camil Ressu, Woman with Child; Octav Băncilă, Head of Old Woman; Pericle Capidan, Woman’s portrait (The artist’s mother); and Tasso Marchini, Autumn Flowers. In 2015 four more works out of the museum’s patrimony were restored: Vastagh György, Kendeffy Ádám; Fekete József, Kemény Domokos; Kőváry Endre, Bölöni Farkas Sándor and Pállik Béla, Mikó Imre, while in 2016 another five such works were restored: Tasso Marchini, Nude; Tasso Marchini, Woman’s Portrait with Citadel (Letiția Muntean); Eder Hans, Static Nature at the Window; Jandi David, Landscape and Frankenberger Johann, Woman’s Portrait.

The building’s restoration

In 2006 a restoration and new functionalization project was undertaken of the museum’s building, the Bánffy Palace. This project, in addition to the major repairs and the upgrading of the facilities, also suggested the extending of the useful surfaces through sanitizing and commissioning the existing basements, extending them under the courtyard in order to have an auditorium type events hall with 300 seats and through making use of the attic, thus having another useful space on top of the first floor.

The space in the basement was planned to be used as a depository, exhibition space, performances and a cultural café-bar. That in the attic were envisioned to be administrative offices, restoration laboratories, and temporary exhibition halls and also used for cultural symposiums.

The courtyard, restored in baroque style and equipped with a removable rain cover would have been used, according to the aforementioned project, for shows, performances and concerts. The total cost of the project (in the year 2007) was estimated to be 10 million euros.

The restoration and new functionalization project could not be set into practice because of the legal status of the building, which has been reclaimed in proportion of 75% by the heirs of the Bánffy family.