"Bucureştiul are monumentele pe care le merită..."

(Photo: Source) So, it will finally happen on the country's national holiday. Don't the Primaria Municipiului Bucuresti (PMB) or the Ministerul Culturii si Cultelor (MCC) realise how shabbily they have treated the memory of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, the creator of the original statue (see left)? This example of very bad plagiarism is to be placed in the middle of Pta Revolutiei on December 1st despite all the letters (unanswered) and communiqués (also unanswered) from his daughter-in-law Rumiana Mestrovici to the Ministry of Culture and the townhall over the last few years. Roumania's behaviour towards the Mestrovic family has been nothing short of dishonourable. Copyright for the statue was NEVER obtained by the Roumanian state (they never even tried to obtain it - too much bother when it's far easier to simply take what isn't your's and claim it) and its indifference to the law is truly overwhelming.

And why Florin Codre? Was he the best the Roumanian state could come up with? The country is heaving with fabulous artists and sculptors. Why Codre? Why not someone with a name - or better still, with talent to represent a country that used to be so admired for its universities, authors, poets and artists. This result, said Rumiana Mestrovic is like 'Mestrovic after plastic surgery'. Quelle honte...

(Photo: source) Florin Codre (google translator: "Barry Forest"!!) is an untalented plagiarist. The whole investment cost approximately three million euros, paid in full prior to 2008, according to sources. And it is apparently not plagiarism a) because, as Florin Codre wrote, " All the horses in the world are the same." Only a real artist could say such a thing of course and b)  it was only " modeled on the original statue" of Ivan Mestrovic.

10.5 million lei. For that. The monarch's head is too big, his legs too short and the tail of the horse is sculpted in such a way that it looks as if it is about to drop a ton at any moment. 50 years of horsebreeding while studying equine physique didn't teach Codre much about the backend of the animal.... While Roumania is living one of its worst economic periods since pre-1989, 10.5 million lei is frittered away on a sculptor with no artistic ability. The Roumanian people deserve better and so does the memory of Ivan Mestrovic. And so does King Carol, for that matter.

I read that the reason for the delay was that although parts of the horse had been finished, there was a burglary at the workshop in Colentina and bits of it had been stolen before Codre had put them together. He had had to start all over again on various horsey parts... This comes as a total revelation to me. Call me an idiot, but I imagined a big lump of bronze that he worked on bit by bit creating something clever from a lump. In fact, he ended up making a lump from something clever...

HERE, the Minister of Culture Kelemen Hunor tells Revista 22 that Bucharest has the monuments it deserves: "Sunt convins că Bucureştiul are monumentele pe care le merită..."  Knowing one of them is this toothache by Codre makes Hunor's words strike a chord - in a very minor key. For if a city deserves a low quality plagiarised monument to symbolise it which was created illegally and dishonourably, then what is there left to say about those that govern it and those who have to llive under such a shadow...?

Comments

[Fedora]

Dan said: The fault is entirely the Ministry of Culture!
...The ministers Iorgulescu, Th.Paleologu and Hunor ...

Don't forget Oprescu, too...

[Freda]

ai dreaptate, Dan. It really was a slap. But I didn't notice the astuce - Bucharesters and not Bucharest... hmm....

[Dan]

Hunor said that bucharesters, not Bucharest have monuments that they deserve...!
I personally found this statement as a slap!
And I commented accordingly article from "22" ...

[sairj]

'Buccaneers' is exactly the perfect description though pirates may be even better since buccaneer has a vaguely romantic attachment! - well chosen indeed. I am so surprised at Paleologu for I thought he had more respect for proprietry, never mind a loyalty to culture... Hunor I had hoped for better but Oprescu.... no amazement there. The man is as cultured as a plank. I heard he had decided to move the 'button' sculpture at Aviatorilor and the She-Wolf (Romulus and Remus) at Pta Romana elsewhere (where are they goping and why?) for...4000 euros each. Whaaaaat? No sense, no brains (even for an ex-surgeon) - he's happy to rip off his own citizens, he has no scruples, couldn't care less about a meaningless statue like King Carol and has no taste for art. And when there's a mayor in sector 5 who can't even write or pronounce 'google' one can expect no better. I thnk I shall start a new project - trying to get a big house organised and making a home for all my dear friends in Roumania who have had enough of the comedy now and want to get out for they have lost the will to laugh... all takers please sign below...

[Doina]

Bucharest is uglier and uglier . But when everybody would wand a masterpiece made by Ivan Mestrovici we will have instead a theft made by a bucher. Terrible! Who is this Coldre? Does he has a quota on the international art market? NO, he is just stuffing his pockets from Romaninan taxpayers. And Mr.iorgulescu is a shame for the Minister of Culture, for he approved it.And the Paleologu (sorry for such a respected name) and Hunor...and mayor oprescu!A bunch of buccaneers