 Events Archive
Exhibition Opening: Art in Motion: From Sketch to Directed Film
October 28, 2025
On October 28, 2025, the National Museum of History of Moldova inaugurated the exhibition Art in Motion: From Sketch to Directed Film, organized to mark World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.
Speakers at the official opening included Dr. Eugen Sava, General Director of the National Museum of History of Moldova; Valentina Plugaru, Executive Secretary of the Union of Filmmakers of Moldova; actress Zinaida Timofti, widow of the late director Valeriu Gagiu, known for his work with the Bulgakov-Roman duo; and Ana Maria Rusnac, the exhibition's curator, who presented the research methodology and conceptual framework. Their remarks emphasized the importance of scenography as an autonomous art form and the museum's role in preserving the visual memory of national cinema.
The exhibition highlights the contribution of painter-scenographers who shaped the visual identity of Moldova-Film productions-a film institution with a complex evolution, from the founding of the "Moldovan Studio for Documentary Newsreels" in 1952 through multiple reorganizations that redefined its status and functions. Over several decades, the studio produced feature films, documentaries, and animations that helped forge a distinct cinematic image in the Eastern European context. This legacy is at the heart of the exhibition's reflection.
Central to the display is the work of Aurelia Roman, a distinguished scenographer active at Moldova-Film between 1959 and 1987 and a graduate of the VGIK Art Faculty in Moscow. Also featured are works by Stanislav Bulgakov, Honored Master of Art of the Moldavian SSR.
From a methodological standpoint, Art in Motion offers a multi-layered reading-historical, aesthetic, and technical-by placing archival documents in dialogue with the final cinematic product: the initial sketch, costume model, or studio diorama alongside the filmed image. The project also draws on the museum's collections to demonstrate how scenography functions as an "architecture of emotion" and a vital component of audiovisual heritage.
Curated by Olga Andranovici and Ana-Maria Rusnac, the exhibition invites specialists, students, and the general public to explore the behind-the-scenes world of cinematic creation and to reconsider scenography's place within the discourse of national cultural heritage.
The exhibition is open to visitors from October 28 to November 28, 2025, in the first-floor foyer of the National Museum of History of Moldova (121A, 31 August 1989 Street, Chișinău).
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31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
