Radu Varia la Edinburgh. Conferinta la Royal Scottish Academy: Brancusi, a great spiritual experience

The Royal Scottish Academy

BRANCUSI: A GREAT SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE

RSA Sir William Gillies Bequest Lecture by Radu Varia

Edinburgh, Thursday 24th November, 19:30 – 21:00

Following on from Richard Demarco’s blockbuster talk last year, The Royal Scottish Academy is delighted to announce this year’s lecture, given by art historian Radu Varia, on the life and work of Constatin Brancusi.

Brancusi is the most important and influential sculptor of the 20th century, his sculptures being held in major collections across the world, including the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, MOMA in New York, The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Tate Gallery in London.

Radu Varia’s book on the subject was first published in 1986 in New York and was designated as book of the year by the Association of American Librarians, the American Booksellers Association and the New York Times. The seventh American edition will be published next year. It has been translated to French and Japanese and it is considered to be the definitive work on Brancusi.

Varia’s lecture will focus on both the philosophical premises and mathematical determinations in Brancusi’s work and will also feature a series of short films, previously unseen in the UK. Some of these are documentary-style, showing the sculptor at work and others are short films made by the artist himself.

In addition to being a world authority on Brancusi, Radu Varia organized many exhibitions in major museums, including, at his initiative, in 1973, the first ever show of contemporary British painters in Paris: La peinture anglaise aujourd’hui. An European arts ambassador, friend of Salvador Dali, with whom he participated at the creation if his museum in Figueras, Varia has been honoured for his work in the arts and cultural realm by the French, Italian and Romanian governments, being awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana, respectively Commander of the Order of The Cultural Merit.