Ioan Sbârciu (born in 1948, Feldru, Romania) is one of the most important painters of Romania, responsible, during his career as professor, for the revolution of the art education system in Romania, as well as the only Romanian artist who is creating paintings of monumental sizes, such as the 4x6 mt paintings exhibited in Venice this summer or the 5x30 mt painting exhibited at the MNAC Museum in Bucharest.
He was the professor of all the artists associated with the Cluj School phenomenon, from Adrian Ghenie to Victor Man, Marius Bercea, Mircea Suciu, Serban Savu and many others. Sbârciu’s work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions and projects, including: National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest (2019); BOZAR, Bruxelles, Belgium (2019); Sant’Antonio Abate, Matera, Italy (2019); Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2019); Eurojust, The Hague, The Netherlands (2019); The Art Museum Cluj (2018); Romanian Cultural Institute for Humanistic Research, Venice, Italy (2018); Sector 1 Gallery, Bucharest, Romania (2018); Fondazione Mena, Rome, Italy (2017); Hugo Voeten Art Center, Herentals, Belgium (2015); Accademia di Romania, Rome, Italy (2015); Tarohei Nakagawa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2010); Kunsthalle Koeln, Germany (2003); Dresdner Bank Gallery, Stuttgart; Kunsthalle Mannheim, Germany (2001).
"Estranged from Nature" was Sbârciu's most recent solo exhibition at Square Castello, Venice, organized by Zuecca Projects and the European ArtEast Foundation. Curated by Maria Bus Bojan and Alessandro Possati.
Currently, Ioan Sbârciu's work is on display at the solo exhibition "Inner Nature" at the Brukenthal National Museum.
"Sbârciu's paintings are full of mystery and substance, conveyed through poetic illumination and color networks spread over large surfaces. Neither figurative nor entirely abstract, his landscapes address significant issues like the fate of the Earth and the necessity of changing our treatment of nature."