The National Art Museum Timișoara is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition Utopia and research. Timisoara experimental groups 111 and Sigma (1966-1981) , an anniversary event that re-contextualizes a landmark moment in the history of the Timisoara art movement. The exhibition will be open to the public from December 27, 2024, in the Paul Neagu Gallery on the second floor of the Baroque Palace.
The exhibition marks 55 years since the Sigma Group was founded and aims to re-contextualize an exemplary moment in the recent history of the artistic movement in Timișoara, highlighting the work of the artists who formed the 111 group (Ștefan Bertalan, Roman Cotoșman, Constantin Flondor) and, later, the Sigma group (Ștefan Bertalan, Constantin Flondor, Doru Tulcan, Ion Gaita, Rusu Elisei and the mathematician Lucian Codreanu). Through their artistic activity, recognized nationally and internationally, but also through their pedagogical activity, the members of these two groups made history in the period 1960-1980 and afterwards, influencing entire generations of young visual artists and architects.
The curatorial concept puts in a new light the originality of the two Timisoara groups, dedicated to visual research and artistic experimentation, dominated by a strong interdisciplinary and intermedial character. Interested in the latest artistic and scientific theories circulating in different fields of research – bionics, the psychology of form, cybernetics, computer science or structuralism, the artists of the two groups have imagined visual projects combining formally innovative structures with the desire to integrate them into the urban space. Information Tower, a project that should have become a nodal point in the center of Timisoara and electronically disseminate the latest news and information, but it remained just a utopia.
Thus, the exhibition Utopia and research. Timisoara experimental groups 111 and Sigma (1965-1981) brings to the public significant works from the collection of the National Museum of Art in Timisoara, as well as lesser-known works, now presented in a coherent and integrative exhibition, benefiting from a special exhibition design, conceived by architect Radu Mihăilescu. The exhibition includes a series of video-interviews with the artists, realized by Ileana Pintilie and Grațian Gâldău.
“The 111 and Sigma exhibition, reconfigured in the context of the Legacy 2024 program, highlights Timisoara’s central role in the European post-war neo avant-garde, a visionary artistic movement that shaped new perspectives in the visual arts. This is not just a retrospective, but a living dialog between past and present, reaffirming the city’s cultural heritage as a laboratory of artistic innovation and education. Through this initiative, MNArT highlights the global relevance of Timisoara’s art and contributes to strengthening European cultural ties. Utopia and research. Timisoara experimental groups 111 and Sigma is an invitation to rediscover an artistic legacy that continues to inspire and connect generations by virtue of its pedagogical vision, artistic virtuosity and programmatic multidisciplinarity.” said the manager of the National Art Museum Timisoara.
The main sponsor of the exhibition is Timis County Council. The exhibition event also enjoys the financial support of the sponsors: Galeria Jecza, Rețele Electrice and Recaș Cellars.
Partners: the West University of Timișoara – Faculty of Arts and Design and the Center for Research and Creation in Decorative Arts and Design (CCCaDD). The project team is composed of Dr. Ileana Pintilie, curator of the exhibition, Dr. Andreea Palade Flondor, project coordinator from UVT-CCCaDD and Aura Bălănescu, project manager.
