The Theodor Pallady Museum is reopening its doors to the public starting Friday, with a new exhibition concept, the result of an extensive process of renovation, reorganisation and refurbishment.

According to a press release issued by the National Museum of Art of Romania, the recent changes include the expansion of the exhibition space and a rethinking of the museum route, so that the heritage is better showcased and visitors benefit from a coherent and contemporary experience.

The Theodor Pallady Museum has been temporarily closed since 4 February, with works on both the interior of the building and the garden, which has been redesigned as an open space for meetings and cultural events.

The museum's new vision emphasises its relationship with the community and the recovery of the atmosphere of old Bucharest - a city of elegance and cultural dialogue. In this context, starting in May, the museum will host 'The Arts Divan,' a series of interdisciplinary meetings inspired by the tradition of cultural salons, aimed at transforming the space into a lively place for reflection and exchange of ideas.

***
The Theodor Pallady Museum houses the collection of Serafina and Gheorghe Raut, which includes an important body of paintings signed by Theodor Pallady, along with over 800 drawings and engravings from his Parisian period. In the late 1960s, the Raut couple donated this collection to the Romanian state, together with their own art collection - paintings from French, Dutch, English and Spanish schools from the 16th to the 19th centuries, small ancient and Renaissance sculptures, textiles, furniture, oriental ceramics and other decorative objects.

The museum building, also known as the Melik House, built in the second half of the 18th century, is one of the oldest and most beautiful merchant houses in Bucharest and the only one open to the public. The name comes from Iacob Melik, one of the most important owners of the house, a supporter of the 1848 Revolution and author of the work L'Orient devant L'Occident. He was in charge of the renovation of the building in the second half of the 19th century and for preserving traditional elements such as the upper-floor veranda, the interior wooden staircase and the wide-eaved roof. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)