#Exhibit of the Month

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, 2026 was declared by the President of Romania the Year of Constantin Brâncuși. Constantin Brâncuși, one of the greatest sculptors of the twentieth century, was born in 1876 in Hobița, Gorj County, and passed away in 1957 in Paris; he was buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery. In 1904 he arrived in Paris, where he attended courses at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. There he also worked in the studio of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), the founder of modern sculpture, and met Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920), the Italian sculptor settled in France. Inspired by the work of these artists, he perfected his artistic training in Paris. His works are held in museums both at home and abroad, in the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries, France, and the United States of America. For his outstanding merits he was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania in 1923; in 1931 Nicolae Iorga proposed him for the Order of Cultural Merit; and only in 1990 was he posthumously elected a member of the Romanian Academy.
One of the artist's most famous creations is the sculpture Mademoiselle Pogany, considered a national symbol of modern Romanian art. Its protagonist was Margaret Pogany (1879-1964), a young Hungarian painter who came to Paris in 1909 to study painting techniques. Visiting her studio, she asked the sculptor to make her portrait, even leaving him a photograph and a self-portrait. In 1911 Brâncuși sculpted her likeness from memory in marble and in bronze, focusing on the deep, large, almond-shaped eyes, the subdued eyebrows, the narrow nose, the small mouth, the austere hairstyle and the modest gesture of the hands, rested against the face. Between 1912 and 1933 he produced nineteen versions of Mademoiselle Pogany.

The commemorative medal "Constantin Brâncuși (1876-1976). Expoziție Filatelică Omagială - București 1976" was struck in Romania at the State Mint by the engraver Ștefan Grudinschi. Executed in bronze with a diameter of 60 mm and a weight of 113.73 g, the medal is remarkable for its memorial and artistic value. Obverse: the sculptor's bust facing left, with the semicircular legend "CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUȘI - 1876-1976." Reverse: a fragment of the triptych The Gate of the Kiss. Semicircular legend: "EXPOZIȚIA FILATELICĂ OMAGIALĂ - BUCUREȘTI 1976."
The medal "Constantin Brâncuși. Mademoiselle Pogany. Craiova Art Museum. 1987" was also executed in bronze at the State Mint (Bucharest); it has a nominal diameter of 60 mm (because of the circular cutting the actual dimensions are D: 45 mm; weight: 53.55 g). The obverse shows, in the central field, an image of the Craiova Art Museum framed by the semicircular legend "MUZEUL DE ARTĂ - CRAIOVA / 1987." The reverse depicts a replica of the sculpture Mademoiselle Pogany made by Brâncuși's pupil O. Moșescu, accompanied by the inscription "CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUȘI - M-elle POGANY / 1913."

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Roundtable „Annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812 and disintegration of the Metropolis of Moldova: Developments and consequences”

September 4, 2013

On September 4, 2013, at the National Museum of History of Moldova the roundtable „Annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812 and disintegration of the Metropolis of Moldova: Developments and consequences" had place, being organized on the occasion of the sad 200^th anniversary of the breakup of the Metropolis of Moldavia (in 1812 military occupation becomes canonical occupation by creating a new diocese in annexed territory: that of Chisinau and Hotin).

Roundtable „Annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812 and disintegration of the Metropolis of Moldova: Developments and consequences”

The scientific discussion touched upon a number of issues concerning the status of the Moldovan Church in medieval times, interference of the Russian Orthodox Church in the affairs of the Moldavian Orthodox Church (18^th century - early 20^th century), historiographical controversies regarding the church of Bessarabia during Czarist rule (1812-1917), canonical problem regarding the Archdiocese of Hotin and Chisinau within the Russian Orthodox Church, and others. A special emphasis in the debates was put on the issue of the Diocese of Chisinau and Hotin within the Russian Orthodox Church (1813-1818). It was pointed out that with the creation of new administrative ecclesiastical unit in the annexed territory (Synodal Decree of August 21, 1813) there were violated several canons of the Ecumenical Councils, and the Russian Church became an accomplice and the main actor in the denationalization of the region.

The discussion was attended by Dr. Alexandru Mosanu, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, Honorary President of the Association of Historians of the Republic of Moldova, Academician Andrei Esanu, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, Prof. Demir Dragnev, corresponding member of the ASM, Prof. Pavel Parasca, Dr. Alexei Agachi, Institute of History of ASM, Prof. Gheorghe Palade, MSU, Archpriest Petru Buburuz, parish priest of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Metropolis of Bessarabia, Dr. Gheorghe Negru, Institute of History of ASM, Dr. Maria Danilov, National Museum of History of Moldova, Dr. Ion Negrei, Institute of History of ASM, Valeriu Matei, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute „Mihai Eminescu", Chisinau, honorary member of the Romanian Academy.

The event was organized by the Association of Historians of the Republic of Moldova in collaboration with the Institute of History of the ASM, Romanian Cultural Institute „Mihai Eminescu", Chisinau, and the National Museum of History of Moldova.