An ensemble of monuments by Constantin Brancusi, including ‘The Endless Column’, have been made UNESCO world heritage sites.
A group of five monuments by the sculptor, commonly referred to as the Targu Jiu Ensemble, have been collectively given this status. The most famous of these is the Endless Column (1937-38). It is a 98-foot monument that seemingly rises into the sky. The monument has been considered a great example of modernist art where objects are deconstructed to their basic forms. Other sculptures in the ensemble include The Table of Silence and The Gate of the Kiss.
The monuments were created by Brancusi in the 1930s to commemorate the stand of Targu Jiu during World War I. After his death in 1957, the monuments fell under despair until they were repaired in 2004. Achieving a UNESCO World Heritage site status – which includes over 1200 sites across the world – would grant it legal protection and prompt the Romanian government to safeguard and maintain it. Raluca Turcan, culture minister of Romania, said as much: “The granted recognition forces us to protect the monumental ensemble, to keep it intact for future generations and for humanity’s cultural memory.”
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Constantin Brancusi was a Romanian sculptor born in 1876 near Targue Jiu. He is widely considered the father of modern sculpting. His works were displayed at the iconic 1913 Armory Show, while his ‘Bird In Space’ is considered a landmark in changing the perception of how art should be. Largely forgotten after his death, Brancusi has been resurging in the public eye in recent years. One of his bronze sculptures was sold for a record $71 million at Christie’s New York in 2018. He was the subject of a retrospective in Romania in 2023, while another was held at Centre Pompidou this year.
