From May 8, 2026
THEMATIC EXHIBITION AT SUȚU PALACE
Gheorghe Tattarescu and the Male Portrait in the 19th Century
Within the context in which the Bucharest Municipality Museum periodically showcases the heritage of the Gheorghe Tattarescu collection, the 2026 exhibition project presents the male portrait as it appears in the work of Master Tattarescu, as well as in the work of several artists contemporary with him, represented by works held in the MMB collections.
The major genre in which the master worked at the easel was portraiture, for which he demonstrated remarkable talent. The female portraits of ladies from his circle were presented at Suțu Palace in 2025. To these is added a wide array of male portraits depicting important figures of his time—an array on which this project seeks to focus.
The approach to the male face in 19th-century modern painting involved more than the realistic rendering of features and the highlighting of the sitters’ social position through details of posture, dress codes, and accessories. Society was still bound by prejudices that regulated the attire of various social and religious strata, a reality made evident by differences in garments and accessories, ranging from the portrait of an elderly, modest, and anonymous monk to the grand attire—adorned with a medal and a pocket watch set with precious stones—of the dignitary Scarlat Petrovici Armis.
The exhibition also proposes a selection of several oil copies after great masters executed by Tattarescu in Italy, as well as personal studies of compositional portraiture in pencil and charcoal. The combination of these portrait study techniques with religious subject matter led to several original representations, among which we mention the portrait of Archimandrite Rovin Târgșoreanu, a work of great refinement and sensitivity.
The collection of the Gheorghe Tattarescu Museum is able to display a representative sample of 19th-century male portraiture; however, in order to enhance the relevance of the chosen theme and to showcase the MMB heritage as a whole, we propose a collaboration with the History Department and the Pinacoteca Collection to borrow portraits executed by Tattarescu or by another artist contemporary with him.
Gheorghe Tattarescu and the Male Portrait in the 19th Century will emphasize the unique character of portraiture in Gheorghe Tattarescu’s work, as well as the documentary importance of this artistic genre in a century when photography was still in its early stages.
Curator: Rodica Ion, Museographer, Gheorghe Tattarescu Collection, Art Department, Bucharest Municipality Museum