Famous Romanian Artists & Painters

Constantin Brâncuși was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer. A pioneer of modernism, he is considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century. The son of poor parents, he worked hard to fund his training at the Bucharest School of Fine Arts and became a skilled sculptor. He left behind 1200 photographs and 215 sculptures at his death. 

A qualified architect, Saul Steinberg later established himself as a cartoonist and an illustrator and is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker. Born to Jewish parents in Romania, he escaped to the U.S. in the wake of anti-Semitic attacks. He also designed advertisements, murals, and theater sets.

Widely remembered as the co-inventor of Dadaism and a pioneering figure of Constructivism, Marcel Janco was a Romanian-Israeli visual artist and architect. He is also said to have contributed to the "bishop dress" characteristic of Dadaism. He also established the Israeli art colony Ein Hod and founded the avant-garde magazine Contimporanul.

Romanian-born Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri is best known for creating snare-pictures, which consist of object bits, usually tableware, attached to a board and put up on the wall. Interestingly, he had initially studied classical dance and had even been the State Opera of Bern’s lead dancer. He is associated with the Fluxus movement.

Ștefan Luchian was a Romanian painter best remembered for his still life and landscape works. Although his works did not earn him acclaim during the best part of his career, Luchian was able to find fame towards the end of his life and his artworks were only truly appreciated after his lifetime. Ștefan Luchian's life inspired the 1981 eponymous film.

While he was initially interested in music and trained in the cello, Ștefan Dimitrescu later took to painting and became known as one of Romania’s most influential Post-impressionist painters and draftsmen. He co-established the Art of Romania association and The Group of Four. His works mostly depict Romanian folk life.

Gheza Vida was a Romanian–Hungarian engraver, sculptor, communist militant, and industrial worker. One of the most famous artists of Maramureș region, Vida also became one of the favorite artists of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Although his career was affected by the Second World War, Gheza Vida established himself as a noteworthy artist and won many prizes and awards.