Ioan Sbarciu, born in 1948 in Feldru, Bistrita-Nasaud County, Romania, is one of the most important Romanian painters. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cluj, in 1973, majoring in painting in the class of Prof. Petre Abrudan.

Sbarciu was a professor at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca (UAD), where he acted successively as Head of the Painting Department, Dean and Rector. Currently he is the Honorary Chairman of the Senate of the University. His teaching activity and his distinctive style of painting acted as a powerful incentive and point of reference for several generations of young Romanian artists, including his students Adrian Ghenie, Victor Man, Serban Savu, and Mircea Suciu.

Since 1973, Sbarciu exhibited his works constantly both in Romania and Europe, America, and Japan. In the last decade, Sbarciu collaborated extensively with the German artists Markus Lüpertz for two major exhibitions: “The Mystery of Friendship”, in 2005, at the Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca, and „Landscape, Man and Work. The Art That Sets the Rules”, in 2007, at The National Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu, Romania.

Sbarciu’s works are found in the state collection of national museums in Romania, such as MNAC in Bucharest, the Fine Arts Museum in Cluj, and Complexul Muzeal Bistrita-Nasaud, as well as in major international collections, such as the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, Dresdner Bank in Stuttgart, Germany, Central Bank of the Netherlands Art Collection, Amsterdam, etc.

Ioan Sbarciu's highly expressive work is inspired by mythology, classicism and the riddles of the Transilvanian landscape. Growing up, he spent many hours in the untouched Rodna Mountains with their glacier lakes, primeval forests and hidden caves. Sbarciu observes that mystery slowly but surely seems to disappears from our world - this is a central element in his paintings. Suggestion and intuition are more important than representation; it is the viewer who is responsible for the interpretation.

Solo Show ( selection of the last decade )

In Romania:

2019 – “Peisaj Infinit. Ioan Sbarciu”, MNAC (National Museum of Contemporary Art), Bucharest
2018 – “Sottobosco” – with Enzo Cucchi and Markus Lupertz, Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca
2018 – « Portrait from the Memory », exhibition celebrating Ioan Sbarciu’s 70’s anniversary, with Hermann Nitsch, Markus Lüpertz, Emilio Vedova, Arnulf Rainer, Mimmo Paladino, A. R. Penck, César, Daniel Spoerri, Bistrita-Nasaud Museum, Bistrita
2018 – « 17 Reasons », exhibition celebrating Ioan Sbârciu’s 70’s anniversary, with works by Hermann Nitsch, Markus Lüpertz, Emilio Vedova, Arnulf Rainer, Mimmo Paladino, A. R. Penck, César, Daniel Spoerri, Ioan Sbârciu, Nicolae Man, Kudor Duka István, Bencze Bro, Ioana Olahut, Georgeta Olimpia Bera, Anca Bodea, Alice Iliescu and Cristian Gabriel Lapusan, Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca; 2018 – « Labyrinth Landscape», curated by Mihai Pop, Sector 1 Gallery, Bucharest
2017 – “The Fold”, site-specific installation within Timisoara Art Encounters
2015 - “The Rapt of Europe”, Jecza Gallery, Timi?oara
2014 - “Fall from Grace”, Casa Matei Gallery, Cluj-Napoca
2014 - “Semn (di) Segni” , IAGA Gallery, Cluj-Napoca
2013 - “The Cinder Forrest”, the Art Museum Cluj-Napoca
2009 - “Syo/Atelier”, with the Japanese artist Tarohei Nakagawa, the Art Museum Cluj-Napoca
2007 - “Landscape. Man and Work. The Art which establishes rules”, together with Markus Lüpertz, the Contemporary Art Gallery of the Brukenthal National Museum, Sibiu
2006 - “Sbârciu/Painting/2006”, Brâncoveanu Palace Cultural Center – Mogosoaia;
2005 - “The Mystery of Friendship”, together with Markus Lüpertz, Art Museum Cluj-Napoca

Solo Exhibitions Abroad

2019 – “Enlightened – Exhibition of Contemporary Art by Ioan Sbarciu”, Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium
2019 – “Di Materia e Di Spirito Di Ioan Sbarciu”, Arte Contemporanea, Matera, Italy
2019 – “Through Painters’ Eyes: Hernan Bas and Ioan Sbarciu”, Galerie Ron Mandos, Amsterdam
2019 – „Transylvanian Elegy”, exhibition within the framework of the Romanian Presidency at the European Council, Eurojust, The Hague, The Netherlands
2019 – „Ioan Sbârciu meets Brera Academy”, Milan, Italy
2018 - “Don Quixote”, IL MECC, Caprarola, Italy
2018 – „The Black Sun at Rosia Montana”, Romanian Cultural Center, Venice, Italy
2017 – „Illato Lumine”, Fondazzione Mena, Rome ,Italy
2015 - “Transylvanian Lights, Hugo Voeten Art Center, Herentals, Belgium
2015 - “The Rapt of Europe”, Accademia di Romania, Rome, Italy
2010 - “Happiness Street No. 1”, Tarohei Nakagawa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2006 - “Toscana / Transylvania”, Romanian Cultural Institute, Venice, Italy
2004 - The Contemporary Art Museum in Murlo, Italy
2003 – Kunsthalle Cologne, Germany
2003 - The Etruscan Museum in Murlo, Italy
2000 - Kunsthalle Manheim, Germany

International Group Shows (selection)

2017 - "CON-FRONT EAST" / Painting from Cluj-Napoca, Rivaa Gallery, New York, USA
2017 – “The School of Cluj: Painting and Graphic Arts”, Galeria Neon, Wroclaw, Poland
2017 – “The School of Cluj: Painting and Sculpture”, Pecsi Galeria, Pecs, Hungary
2017 – „The Wanderers: Contemporary Painting from Cluj”, Richard Taittinger Gallery, NYC, USA
2016 – „TANGO”, Galeria za Szklem, Art Academy Wroclaw, Poland
2014 - „Latin love. Pittura tra Bari e Cluj-Napoca”, Fortino Sant'antonio Bari Vecchia, Bari, Italy
2011 - The Gallery of Brera Academy in Milan, Italy
2011 - Fondazione Maimeri Milan, Italy
2009 - “MOSS”, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Lethaby Gallery, London, UK
2008 - “MOSS", Universidad del Pais Vasco, Bilbao, Spain
2008 - “Under Natural Circumstances”, MODEM Debrecen, Hungary
2008 - “The Cluj Treasures in Pecs", Parti Gallery, Pecs, Hungary
2007 - “Plus Zwei”, MKM Duisburg, Germany
2005 – “The International Contemporary Art Biennial”, The National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2003 - The Meotte Foundation, New York, USA
2003 - “La nuit video”, Ecole Superieure des Arts Decoratifs de Strasbourg, France
2003 - “Incontro a Roma”, Accademia di Romania, Rome, Italy
2001 – Paintings from Romania, The National Bank of Holland, (De Nederlandse Bank) Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2001 - “Saint-Luc” Fine Arts Institute, Liege, Belgium
2001 - “Dino Scalabrino” Academy’s Museum of Contemporary Art Montecatini, Italy