RECOLLECTIVE by Pulitzer Prize Winner Viorel Florescu Opens RCI’s New Brâncuși Gallery

A labor of love a long time in the making, our new exhibition space, Brâncuși Gallery, created as part of last year’s major renovation works and named after the greatest Romanian artist, will be inaugurated on September 17th, 2021 with the first retrospective of two-time Pulitzer winner VIOREL FLORESCU, one of the most celebrated photojournalists among New York press of the past decades.

Entitled RECOLLECTIVE and presented in partnership with Howland Cultural Center, Beacon NY (co-curator: Anda Onesa-Lieberman) and the Bronx Documentary Center, the exhibition brings together some of the artist’s most haunting images, captured with insatiable curiosity and a keen eye for the tragic irony of life, which unfolds itself in conflict zones and dangerous places in Haiti, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Russia immediately after the collapse of the USSR, Romania during the 1989 Revolution, and New York during the 9/11 attacks.

The event marks the relaunch of in-person programs at the RCI (with the mandatory health security protocols), on Friday, September 17, 2021 with a reception followed by an Artist Talk and Dialogue with Dorian Branea, Director of RCI, and photojournalist Jon Naso, former Photo Editor at the The Record (NJ), NY Daily News and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

Doors: 6:30 pm & Event start: 7:00 pm

Please RSVP here. 

“Recollective” is a visual exploration of over five decades of intricate and evocative images by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner international photojournalist Viorel Florescu. Throughout his career, Florescu has directly confronted the zeitgeist with provocative works that tell truths as he has ventured on a courageous journey documenting humanity and our times with his camera and curiosity - not being afraid to depict a wide range of human moments.

In this exhibition of over 60 photographs - some from the early years, depicting scenes from his beloved homeland, Romania, plus many historical events, portraits of real people affected by huge life experiences, and peculiar urban life stories - are also included images of conflict zones, often distressing and violent documentary photographs from across the world. Overall, scenes beautiful and disturbing unfold as Florescu finds the truth beyond the visible and the tangible.

____________________________

Important event info

Please be advised that all guests will need to be fully vaccinated to enter the premises, meaning that the event must take place at least 14 days after your final vaccine dose. Guests will have to provide proof of full vaccination along with an appropriate ID matching the name on their documentation. You can display proof of vaccination on your smartphone, present a physical copy or use the New York State Excelsior Pass.

The only exception is for children under the age of 16, who may provide proof of a negative antigen or PCR COVID-19 test.

For more information, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/.