STARTING WITH 30th NOVEMBER 2017
JOURNEY TO THE PAST THROUGH THE SEVEREANU COLLECTION
Starting with November 2017, members of the public will be able to admire the “Maria and dr. George Severeanu” collection, after over 20 years. The Bucharest Municipality Museum is preparing to open the Severeanu Museum’s permanent exhibition. Closed down in the early 90s because of the precarious preservation conditions, the house of dr. Severeanu has been restored and has hosted several thematic exhibitions since 2013: Jupiter on your side… Gods and people in Antiquity along the lower Danube, organised in collaboration with the “Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy and the National Bank of Romania; The National Museum of Antiquities. An archaeological excursion on the occasion of the 180s anniversary of the National Museum of Antiquities, whose activity was taken on by the “Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy and the exhibition The history of monetary circulation in Bucharest and its surroundings.
In defining the thematic structure of this new exhibition project, the combination between the memorial quality of the house, mirroring the daily life of collector George Severeanu (particularly underlined in the room that was once the doctor’s study, where the original furniture he commissioned, tomes from his personal library as well as heritage items, organised the same way as seen in preserved contemporary photos of his house) and the chronologic history of a museum with archaeological and numismatic heritage, will be taken into account. All these elements will be supported by modern interactive interventions, created in order to facilitate a better understanding of the museum’s heritage.
With a passion for both archaeology as well as numismatics, George Severeanu left behind approximately 3000 archaeological items and over 9000 coins. Therefore, there is another important challenge, that presented by the relation between the two categories of artefacts in the available exhibition space. What would dr. Severeanu have wished for the public to admire? The gradual and clearly variable preoccupation reflected both by the acquired items as well as the specialised papers he produced during different periods of his life cannot offer a definite response in this regard. The solution to the equation could lie in the point of contact between the two item categories, which will be exhibited both chronologically and by type. With the help of exhibition texts, visitors will be able to familiarise themselves with various categories of Ancient artefacts and the information associated with them, especially since there is no other museum or public collection in Bucharest to exhibit these kinds of pieces. The numismatic testimonies will be integrated within the project according to their date and place of emission as well as their type, and so on, with a focus on the monetary treasures collected by the doctor, in order to suggest a history of monetary circulation in harmony with provided associated historical information.
The exhibition project represents an endeavour meant to present the impressive collection of Doctor George Severeanu and familiarise audiences with the universe of collections and collectors from the early 20th century.
Dr. Dan Pîrvulescu
Project Coordinator
Dr. Dan Pîrvulescu