The work 'Head of a Child' by great sculptor Constantin Brancusi was unveiled on Monday at the Palace of Culture in Iasi, in the presence of Culture Minister Andras Demeter and local authorities.

In his opening speech, the culture minister praised the collaboration between the 'Moldova' National Museum Complex, which will host the 'Head of a Child' exhibition until May 24, and the National Museum of Art of Romania, underlining the importance of public access to great works of art.

'This time, Brancusi comes to Iasi thanks to a bold idea and to your work. It is a remarkable and commendable achievement, just as the collaboration between the Moldova National Museum Complex and the National Museum of Art of Romania is remarkable. You have brought here an unmistakable work and made it possible for the people of Iasi and the entire Moldavia region to see one of Brancusi's most moving masterpieces, 'Head of a Child', marking 150 years since the artist's birth and 120 years since the work was created. The meeting between admirers and the admired becomes an invitation to pure joy,' the culture minister said.

He also mentioned that he has always believed that 'art must be accessible, that the relationship between the work and the viewer is what gives value to both parties - the recipient and the artefact'.

'What Brancusi offers us is the freedom of interpretation, the chance to dream unconstrained by materials, the acceptance of tradition as something natural rather than an obligation, and the rediscovery of the sense of childhood that we all carry within us, although we increasingly tend to forget it. Yet we should remind ourselves of it in order to remain aware, to stay connected to the present and to art, both in its playful and its sacred dimension,' Minister Andras Demeter stated.

According to Palace of Culture manager Andrei Apreotesei, this is the first time Constantin Brancusi's bronze work 'Head of a Child' has gone on display outside Bucharest. The sculpture can be seen at the Art Museum of the Palace of Culture until May 24.

'This is the first time we are bringing a Constantin Brancusi work to Iasi. It is the first time that Iasi is hosting, with the exception of the 'Ecorseu', an artistic work by Brancusi,' said Andrei Apreotesei, manager of the 'Moldova' National Museum Complex.

The work, insured for 7 million euros, arrived in Iasi through a partnership with the National Museum of Art of Romania.

The unveiling of 'Head of a Child' coincided with the opening of a new hall at the Palace of Culture entitled 'Treasury'. The space is intended for valuable and rare works that are not usually part of permanent exhibitions.

'You are inaugurating in Iasi the newest hall of the Art Museum, and one thing must be mentioned: from this moment on, the Palace of Culture in Iasi joins the great gallery of exceptional places, of the great museums of the world that are exhibiting Brancusi right now. I am referring to Berlin, Rome, the National Museum of Art of Romania. Of course, there are famous museums that hold his sculptures and exhibit them permanently, such as those in Paris, New York, Philadelphia or London, but this time I am referring to those places that have borrowed his works in order to make them accessible to a larger number of visitors and which today have created a sensitive and important connection among themselves,' the culture minister said.

The work 'Head of a Child', which is part of Romania's National Treasury, will be exhibited at the Art Museum between May 18 and 24 as part of events dedicated to the 'Constantin Brancusi Year'.

The work was cast in bronze at the Valsuani Foundry in Paris and completed in 1906. It is part of the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania and, according to specialists, marks the artist's transition towards the essentialisation of form, impressing through the sensitivity of detail and the mastery demonstrated by Brancusi in capturing the child's sorrowful yet penetrating expression. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniela Malache; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)