At a glance, Mariana Florescu’s collection may seem overwhelming in scope, bringing together an impressive number of works dating throughout the past century. The selection presented at The H Gallery encompasses only a small part of this vast whole: paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, prints, sketches, and collages by 26 artists, as representative as they are different. It can be said that the exhibition At a Glance aims to materialize an echo of the act of collecting itself, seeking to bring to the forefront a visual summary of mixture and accumulation, assuming the palimpsest effect that collections tend to acquire through exposure, whether selective or integral. The repeated additions, the abrupt stylistic transitions, and the overlapping chronological discrepancies are made manifest. The fact that the works of artists such as Horia Damian, Corneliu Baba, Ștefan Câlția, Ion Grigorescu, Ion Bârlădeanu, Dan Perjovschi, Botond Reszegh, Ioana Bătrânu, Roman Tolici, Marian Zidaru, Mircea Cantor, Florin Mitroi, Hortensia Mi Kafchin, Horia Bernea, Constantin Flondor, Ecaterina Vrana, Dan Hatmanu, Georgeta Năpăruș, Roman Cotoșman, Geta Brătescu, Paul Neagu, Margareta Sterian, Natalia Dumitrescu, Milița Petrașcu, Anca Mureșan, and Constantin Brâncuși are all brought into a space no larger than 100 square meters intentionally forces congestion. The result is a disordered canon, where each image sings its unique message from its temporal plane. The unique point of valid and articulate intersection stands out in this formed dissonance—the collection itself.

More details about it can be obtained directly from the source, within the following mini-interview with Mariana Florescu:

The first question, which you probably receive quite often, is related to the activity you carry out as a collector. Where did this passion start?

M.F.: The passion for collecting developed gradually and continues to do so. For example, the painted surface of the work by Roman Tolici (the newest acquired piece) has barely dried, as it was completed just a few weeks ago. I sincerely hope that my daughter, Daria, aged 10, who has the chance to grow up surrounded by art, will preserve, protect, and further develop this collection on attractive niches. My passion started with collecting philatelic stamps on art themes during my childhood, in the communist era. It was the first time I saw reproductions of Andreescu’s landscapes, Tonitza’s portraits, Luchian’s flowers, and many other artists who made history in art. Later, in adulthood, when I had the opportunity to see them in museums, I was amazed in front of many works reproduced on stamps or in art albums: it was a meeting I had been waiting for a long time.

At the current moment, how many works of art does your collection include?

M.F.: At the present moment, the contemporary art collection comprises over 300 works, consisting of paintings, graphic works, sculptures, collages, and photographs. The excerpt from the exhibition At a Glance at The H Gallery is a representative selection for my entire art collection.

Therefore, we are talking about a very dense and continuously-expanding collection. Is there a specific strategy you apply at the time of acquisitions, or does the process rely on a more personal intuition?

M.F.: Initially, the selection was more intuitive, taking care to include representative works of the artists that attracted me. Over time, I understood you also need a strategy to coalesce around certain artists. Too much diversification is also very difficult to manage.

As the title suggests, the core of the exhibition Damian și alte iubiri within the Blue Biennale – The International Visual Art Biennale, Brașov, 2023 – is formed by Horia Damian’s works. This particular artist occupies a privileged position within your collection. How did you develop this attachment?

M.F.: I consider Horia Damian to be a huge artist. Of course, he left Romania very early, having a fantastic early artistic talent, and reached Paris where he worked and lived for the rest of his life. As I began to study his work, I felt more and more drawn to Damian’s style. He has a rigor, a sobriety, a kind of search, an unrestrained curiosity, a spirit of a builder, an architectural vision with which I resonated very well. Today, I have over 30 works by Horia Damian in my collection, including graphic works, drawings, oils, sculptures, and even a work from the Romanian period (Ograda, 1941). Following his journey even in my collection, over several decades of creation, you discover an amazing artistic evolution. I want us Romanians to get to know Horia Damian better and better because we have so much to gain from this. Currently, another exhibition of my collection with a considerable number of Horia Damian’s works is taking place in Miercurea Ciuc at Uj Kriterion, one of the most fascinating art galleries in Romania.

The activity of collectors directly shapes the local and international artistic landscape. What are the principles that guide you in this regard?

M.F.: I believe that contemporary art is a mirror of our time and it is natural for it to be connected to what artists predominantly observe in society. As an art lover, of course, you appreciate and promote the diversity of art, but at the same time, you need to pay attention to the investment component. I choose creative artists who are also invested in their artistic journey.

Finally, can you describe the entire collection in 3 words?

M.F.: Energy. Creation. Passion.