National Museum of Contemporary Art Bucharest (MNAC)

Address: Izvor St 2-4, 050563 Bucharest, entrance from Calea 13 Septembrie

Website: www.mnac.ro

Contact: 00 4021 3189137 / info@mnac.ro

Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am Ð6 pm; Closed: 24, 25 and 26 December, 1, 2 January, 1 May

Year opened to the public: 2003 Kalinderu venue, 2004 Palace of the Parliament, wing E4

Brief history: The National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) was created by the Romanian government in 2001. The museum was founded by the fusion of the National Office for Documentation and Art Exhibition, and the Contemporary Art Department of the National Museum of Art. Since 2002, MNAC has been located in the Kalinderu building and in the _ Gallery of the Bucharest National Theatre.

In 2004, Wing E4 of Parliament Palace was rearranged to host the newest Romanian cultural institution. MNAC opened its doors in the wing E4 of the Palace of the Parliament, becoming one of the most important contemporary art museums in Eastern Europe. The new space represents a challenge for artists, curators and art critics, and an opportunity to transform this edifice into a space for international dialogue and partnerships with similar institutions worldwide.

The MNAC team and collaborators are artists and professionals who are active in the local and international arts. Their work focuses on bringing Romanian contemporary art into the international sphere, and devising new patterns for the exchange of ideas and creative resources in Romania.

Aims and objectives: The cultural strategy of MNAC relies on the interest of the younger generations interest in contemporary art. MNAC seeks to integrate these energies to produce new dialogue on art and society. MNACÕs aims to work as a flexible structure in the field of contemporary arts and contemporary culture, taking a consolidated position internationally, while existing as the leading national contemporary art exhibition, interpretation and collecting institution. MNAC therefore intends to stimulate the Romanian artistic field by becoming the catalyst of the future of contemporary art in the Romanian cultural field.

Distinct areas of
programming: MNACÕs exhibition program focuses on temporary monographic or thematic exhibitions. Emerging Romanian and international artists are presented alongside shows of more established practitioners are the subjects for MNAC’s curatorial interpretations and visual investigations. Architecture, design and photography are common threads within the exhibition program. MNAC’s lab presents works by experimental artists through vivid, yet small scale projects.

The museumÕs collection is heteroclite due of the acquisition policy of the former art institutions which exclusively privileged local art production. Despite this, MNAC plans to present a new collection exhibition to give the public access to its key contemporary pieces.

Number of projects exhibited yearly (total: 28 (estimate)

Most outstanding projects of the last 3-5 years: The Museum of Painting, Santiago Sierra, Mark Lewis, Josef Dabernig, Kinema Ikon, Animation/Fiction, Andrei Cadere, Regina Jose Galindo

Distinct areas of programming: MNAC periodically hosts contemporary dance, music, theatre and film screenings projects.

Number of activities by type per year: 10+ (estimate)

Distinct areas of programming: MNAC provides numerous opportunities for its audience to engage in dialogues with artists and cultural professionals through round table discussions, conferences and international symposia, organized in collaboration with the exhibition program.

Program strands: MNAC is frequently involved in cross-cultural projects with marginalized communities as organized by MNAC’s partners.

Academic: To reach out to the museumÕs core younger audience, MNAC organizes special programs and guided tours for school groups and individual students.

Number of activities by type per year: 10+ (estimate)

Surface area/capacity: Total internal floor area of 19.495 m2

Type: Palace of the Parliament: 14.933 m2; Gallery spaces: 6.650 m2; Auditorium: 142 m2.
_ Gallery: Offices, 1090 m2; Gallery spaces and storage areas, 1790 m2.
Dalles Hall: Gallery space, 1680 m2.

Managing organization: Mihai Oroveanu, General Director over sees a team of three department directors of the Curatorial-Research and PR Department, Documentation Department and the Economic Department. Ruxandra Balaci, Artistic Director also leads the Scientific Committee of the Museum.

General Director: Mihai Oroveanu

Artistic Director: Ruxandra Balaci

MNAC is financed by the Ministry of Culture. In 2009 MNAC received 1.162.000 Euros in public funding from the Ministry of Culture. It received an additional income of 122.800 Euros and 31.300 Euros in private sponsorship.