Introducing the topic

Serving Brancusi is a document-book, essence of six years from my life (1996 – 2002) lived to the fullest, a time interval during which I have served two masters: the national power system I had worked with, and Brancusi. During that time I worked as research engineer specialised in corrosion control, being head of team then of laboratory with the Energy Research and Modernising Institute ICEMENERG within the Romanian Electricity Authority RENEL, later the National Electricity Company CONEL. I have served Brancusi by unconditionally placing my entire professional experience, diligence and time at the disposal of central (Ministry of Culture) and local authorities (Gorj County Council and Targu-Jiu Municipality) in order to save his monumental works of Targu-Jiu. At such moment I deemed that was my manner to pay back my native city for what it has provided me with in time- the education and culture acquired in school of which I still benefit today, as well as for my later professional achievements.

The book is structured in 9 chapters comprising letters, papers, articles submitted to various scientific events on Brancusi, articles published in central and local newspapers and magazines, my own or authored by journalists, art critics and historians, professors, writers, et al. as well as interviews, photographics, technical reports, protocols, opinions, etc. Here is the content of each chapter in the book.

Correspondence I includes official and personal letters from 1996 – 2001, written and transmitted from the qualities of ICEMENERG employee and technical advisor of Targu-Jiu Municipality:

- ICEMENERG letter (reg. no. 1375 / March 22, 1996) to the Ministry of Culture, Design Centre for the National Cultural Heritage (reg. no. CM / 696 / March 22, 1996), accompanied by the executive summary of the restoration project for the Endless Column of Targu-Jiu drawn up according to the Ministry of Culture’s inquiry. This letter opens the history of my personal involvement into the Endless Column’s restoration.

- ICEMENERG letters of April 3 and 22, 1996 to Gheorghe Caralicea-Marculescu, prefect of Gorj County, requesting his agreement to submit the technological solutions for the Endless Column’s restoration.

- ICEMENERG letter (reg. no. 1692 / April 11, 1996) addressed to Florin Tanasescu, state secretary to the Ministry of Research and Technology (reg. no 7507 / April 17, 1996) requesting the Ministry’s endorsement with respect to the technical competency and experience acquired in the expertise of metallic structures and corrosion control.

- Co. ALTIUS ltd letter of May 7, 1996 to ICEMENERG (reg. no. 635 / May 7, 1996) inviting the Institute’s experts to discuss about the Endless Column’s restoration. Such discussions were fruitless because the intent was to include the experts of ICEMENERG and of Co. Terotechnica Romana SA Campulung Muscel into Radu Varia’s project team and work under his coordination. Radu Varia himself attended briefly that meeting for a few minutes, showing his well-known unflinching attitude.

- ICEMENERG letter (reg. no. 2274 / May 8, 1996) to the Ministry of Culture, DMI submitting the Institute’s offer to get actually involved in the Endless Column’s restoration.

- Letter from the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 1147 / June 6, 1996) to ICEMENERG (reg. no. JC883 / June 7, 1996) informing us that the offer with respect to the execution of restoration work will be referred for consideration to the National Historical Monuments Commission, which to date has endorsed the disassembling of two upper modules.

- ICEMENERG letter (June 1996) to the Ministry of Culture, DMI pointing out the huge risks involved in the Endless Column’s restoration by disassembling.

- On June 29, 1996 the Romanian Electricity Authority RENEL issued a press release communicating that a team of corrosion control experts from ICEMENERG has elaborated a restoration technology without disassembling for the Endless Column, as well as for the stone works of Targu-Jiu (cooperation with Co. Rhône-Poulenc Romania), which it provided for free to the Ministry of Culture.

- ICEMENERG letters of August 1, 1996 addressed to Petre Nanu, mayor of Targu-Jiu City and Nicolae Mischie, chairman of the Gorj County Council requesting their agreement with submitting the technological solutions for the Endless Column’s restoration.

- ICEMENERG letter (reg. no. 5004 / September 10, 1996) addressed to Grigore Zanc, minister of culture (reg. no. 6505 / September 10, 1996), Mihai Ungheanu, state secretary to the Ministry of Culture (reg. no. 225 / 09 / 96), Florin Tanasescu, state secretary to the Ministry of Research and Technology (reg. no. 8556 / September 10, 1996) requesting them to halt the disassembling of the Endless Column’s first two modules scheduled on September 14, 1996. Technical and ethical arguments of restoration have been submitted.

Mihai Ungheanu, state secretary to the Ministry of Culture invited me for discussions and assured me of his full support. Although he did attempt to stop the destructive actions Mihai Ungheanu was not successful and was then removed from the Ministry of Culture. Similarly, I received a phone call from state secretary Octav Comana, head of the Local Public Administration Department of Romania’s Government and was encouraged to proceed, as the necessary help for such undertaking would be provided from the shadow. Indeed Dan Ilie Morega, prefect of Gorj County was notified he should sustain ICEMENERG in the attempt to stop the Column’s disassembling, but he failed.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 2608 / September 23, 1996) to ICEMENERG inviting us to attend the September 26, 1996 meeting of the National Historical Monuments Commission and submit our solutions for the Endless Column’s restoration without disassembling, accompanied by necessary documentations.

- ICEMENERG letter (September 1996) to the Ministry of Culture, DMI notifying that we would no longer attend the CNMI meeting on September 26, 1996. This letter transmitted shortly after ICEMENERG has requested the Ministry of Culture’s agreement with submitting the Endless Column’s restoration solution without disassembling was sent after the phone talk of Doru Dumitru Palade, minister of research and technology and Jean Constantinescu, ICEMENERG director during which minister Palade requested J. Constantinescu and ICEMENERG to no longer deal with the Endless Column’s restoration since only the Ministry’s institutes coordinated by Radu Varia, chairman of the International Foundations ‘Constantin Brancusi’ are so entitled as acknowledged by governmental and local decision makers. When director Constantinescu asked me to no longer involve ICEMENERG in this issue I told him I would go on doing so in my own name. He replied I had the right to choose my own path.

When minister Doru Dumitru Palade has been replaced ICEMENERG resumed its actions aiming at the Endless Column’s restoration.

- Letters sent to Eric Shanes (February 25, 1997), Henry Chauffriat, technical executive with Rhône-Poulenc Co. (February 1997), Serge Faucheveau (March 12, 1997), Sidney Geist (April 11, 1997) requesting their support to the Endless Column’s restoration without replacing any of its components (for instance the sustaining spine).

- Sidney Geist’s letter of New York that he sent me on May 2, 1997.

- RENEL letter of July 23, 1997 addressed to Ion Caraminitu, minister of culture informing him about ICEMENERG’s actions with respect to the Endless Column’s restoration while also maintaining the offer of the free project, requesting only the material costs of the actual work.

- Letters to Sidney Geist (August 6, 1997), Friedrich Teja Bach (August 6, 1997) and Ina Klein (August 12, 1997).

- Letter addressed to Alfeo Tonolotto, UNESCO Paris (August 20, 1997) informing him on ICEMENERG’s project and requesting financial and logistic support for the Endless Column’s restoration without replacing its components.

- Letters from August 20 through November 11, 1997 to Japanese personalities and institutions concerned with the preservation of the cultural heritage – Sanwa Research Institute Corporation and National Land Agency Government of Japan.

- Alfeo Tonolotto’s letter of August 20, 1997 from UNESCO Paris informing me how to proceed in view of accessing UNESCO funds for the restoration of art and historical monuments.

- Letter of RENEL, UNESCO Paris Affairs Division (September 1997) to NCR for UNESCO requesting the support of UNESCO Paris to sponsor the Endless Column’s restoration.

- Letters of September 18, 1997 addressed to Japanese personalities and organisations requesting them to sponsor the Endless Column’s restoration.

- Letter of September 29, 1997 to Jean Constantinescu, chairman of the Commission 2 Energy within MCT addressed to Ion Caraminitu, minister of culture (reg. no. IC / 5483 / October 1, 1997) that draws the attention on the improper conditions in which the Column components are protected and submitting an efficient cheap solution to provisionally protect the sustaining spine of the art monument, devised by ICEMENERG.

- Letter of Vasile Iancu, secretary general of NCR for UNESCO (reg. no. 735 / October 17, 1997) addressed to Alfeo Tonolotto, UNESCO Paris requesting his support for ICEMENERG in view of the Endless Column’s restoration, as it had been disassembled under an arbitrary decision based on insufficient technical grounds.

Following Ion Caraminitu’s involvement as minister of culture to Vasile Iancu, secretary general of CNR for UNESCO, the latter is obliged to get in touch with Alfeo Tonolotto, UNESCO Paris and withdraw his support letter on behalf of ICEMENERG. Minister Ion Caraminitu had a different vision on how to get funds for the Column’s restoration, namely by loans from the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

- Letters addressed to Prof. Giorgio Croci, University ‘La Sapienza’ of Rome (February 1998 and May 25, 1998) and to Sarah King (May 11, 1998).

- Letter of Co. GRIMEX SA (reg. no. 13377 / February 1, 1999) to ICEMENERG.

Discussing with mayor Petre Nanu I reached to the conclusion that Targu-Jiu could benefit if companies thereof get involved in the Endless Column’s restoration. Thus we went together to Co. GRIMEX SA and Co. MIRFO SA where I could see their equipment and technologies were obsolete, far from the technical requirements of such large scale work as the Endless Column’s restoration. However when I had discussed with Florin Carciumaru, general director of Co. GRIMEX SA and upon Petre Nanu’s kind request I decided to get involved in constituting the company’s capability file (guidelines, procedures, technical diagrams, notices, references, etc.).

- ICEMENERG letter (reg. no. 461 / February 1, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, Project Implementation Unit ‘Cultural Heritage’ – World Bank (reg. no. 30 / February 1, 1999) submitting the technical and financial offer of an expertise on the Endless Column’s technical condition by means of non-destructive testing. Such technical offer has been elaborated and submitted to the Ministry of Culture following the phone request of Liviu Popescu, director of the new structure in the MC established in order to manage the Romanian State’s loan from the World Bank to restore the art monuments from the Heroes’ Road Ensemble of Targu-Jiu.

After a while I find out their intent was to know what exactly a non-destructive control consisted of in application to the Endless Column and that actually the company selected to execute the work was a totally different one from ICEMENERG. At that point I decided I should withdraw as participating party, such being a dead end for me. Upon proposal of mayor Petre Nanu and some directors of Targu-Jiu Municipality, but particularly upon the insistent arguments of Nicolae Diaconu, Gorj County Inspectorate of Culture, I agreed with the position of technical advisor to Targu-Jiu Municipality from which I could best capitalise my professional experience to Brancusi’s restoration. I have volunteered such work in full responsibility and dedication, firmly believing that what I do is necessary and useful, otherwise I could not have stood the extraordinary pressure put upon me while also doing my job with ICEMENERG Bucharest, RENEL’s then CONEL’s energy research centre, which was highly complex.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, PIU (reg. no. 148 / March 9, 1999) to ICEMENERG (reg. no. 1107 / March 9, 1999).

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 8618 / March 17, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU, notifying my new position with the Targu-Jiu Municipality.

- Letter of March 18, 1999 of the Targu-Jiu Municipality to ICEMENERG inviting me to participate in a meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Culture, World Bank, American Express Company, World Monuments Fund, etc.

- Invitation to the press conference on the Restoration of Constantin Brancusi’s Endless Column organised by the World Monuments Fund and American Express Company on March 23, 1999 at Athenee Palace Hilton of Bucharest.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (March 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU.

- Letters of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 8845 / March 23, 1999, reg. no. 9665 / March 25, 1999, April 21, 1999, reg. no. 11418 / May 4, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, PIU (reg. no. 240 / March 24, 1999) to the Targu-Jiu Municipality and ICEMENERG (reg. no. 1283 / March 25, 1999).

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, PIU (reg. no. 539 / May 26, 1999) to the Targu-Jiu Municipality inviting me to the ‘International Scientific Symposium on the restoration of Constantin Brancusi’s Sculptural Ensemble’ of June 2, 1999, in Targu-Jiu.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, PIU (reg. no. 848 / September 3, 1999) to ICEMENERG (reg. no. 4172 / September 7, 1999) with respect to selecting the designer to draw up the documentation for the restoration – conservation of the Sculptural Ensemble of Targu-Jiu.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 1934 / September 9, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU.

- ICEMENERG letter (reg. no. 4227 / September 9, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU (reg. no. 1235 / September 10, 1999).

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, PIU to ICEMENERG (reg. no. 4426 / September 23, 1999).

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 20541 / September 28, 1999) addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture with respect to the very difficult cooperation with PIU officials.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 20728 / September 30, 1999) to ICEMENERG.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 21063 / October 6, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 21064 / October 6, 1999) referring to letter no. 2054 / September 28, 1999 addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture, on the particularly difficult cooperation with PIU officials.

- Letter addressed to Sidney Geist (October 12, 1999).

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 21485 / October 13, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 24982 / December 3, 1999) addressed to Maria Berza, state secretary to the Ministry of Culture with respect to the legal situation of the site organisation from the Endless Column.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DGPCN (reg. no. 394 / December 3, 1999) to Targu-Jiu Municipality requesting a review of the protection solution for the Column spine sent by PIU, and on the possible financing of such work. The documentation was elaborated by Co. DORIS Art Ltd, Dorin Danila’s company.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 22704 / November 1, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU.

- Letters of Radu Varia, chairman of the International Foundations ‘Constantin Brancusi’ (December 10, 1999) addressed to Petre Nanu, mayor of Targu-Jiu and to Andrei Pippidi, chairman of the National Historical Monuments Commission.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (December 1999) addressed to Radu Varia.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (December 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU with respect to the prequalification in selecting the designer of the documentation for the restoration – conservation of art monuments from Targu-Jiu.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (January 25, 2000) to the Ministry of Culture, DGPCN with respect to the documentation for the emergency intervention to the Endless Column elaborated by Co. DORIS Art Ltd.

- Radu Varia’s letter (January 11, 2000) addressed to Petre Nanu, mayor of Targu-Jiu.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 3122 / February 1, 2000) addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 3123 / February 1, 2000) addressed to Radu Varia with respect to Technical expertise report on the Endless Column’s metallic spine performed by the Technical Construction University in December 1999 and to the study authored by Getty Conservation Institute (Los Angeles) and the Swedish Corrosion Institute (Stockholm).

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 3478 / February 4, 2000) to the Ministry of Culture, DMI. On this occasion I sent a note to mayor Petre Nanu: ‘We need to regulate the manner in which the Municipality would receive the documentations on the restoration of the Monumental Ensemble. The quality of beneficiary compulsorily involves having the fore-mentioned documentation as well, especially that it might be amended in the meantime by taking out or introducing additional materials and we would not be notified. This is unacceptable!’

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 3509 / February 4, 2000) to ICEMENERG.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (February 2000) addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (February 11, 2000) to the Ministry of Culture, CNMI with comments on the Endless Column’s restoration project (partial stage) elaborated by the Romanian Fine Arts Union, UAP.

- Letter of Dorin Danila and Alexandru Lelutiu, UAP (no date, no registration number) submitting the ‘Summary of the restoration lines for the Endless Column’.

- Letter of Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 4262 / February 15, 2000) to the Ministry of Culture, DMI with comments on the Endless Column’s restoration project (partial stage) elaborated by UAP.

- Endorsement 96-M / 08.02.2000 of the Ministry of Culture, DMI on the consolidation – restoration of the Endless Column in Targu-Jiu under the following conditions:

✓ The infrastructure will be examined exhaustively in order to determine the foundation state as well as that of the spine segment embedded in it;

✓ The contact area between the metallic spine and the embedded concrete will be examined;

✓ Tests will be carried out to determine the fatigue of the metal in the intervention area;

✓ The spine behaviour will be tested for instantaneous shock;

✓ The technical documentation will contain all the technical and technological elements necessary for the Endless Column’s restoration and reassembling, site organisation included.

- Endorsement 278-M / 08.02.2000 of the Ministry of Culture, DMI on the consolidation – restoration of the Endless Column in Targu-Jiu under the following conditions:

✓ The contractor will carry out tests to at least two models, half modules made 1:1; on the same occasion the expert Commission will see the model achieved in order to solve the closing element of the last module;

✓ The project will be added the spine fastening solutions when plates are replaced and, as the case may be, additional measures will be established;

The designer will provide technical assistance of activities until these are completed. The amounts of work and the prices remain to the charge of the designer, constructor and financer. This endorsement will be notified to the designer and constructor through the care of the financer.

- Letter of Ion Caramitu, minister of culture (reg. no. 1070 / March 02, 2000) addressed to Petre Nanu, mayor of Targu-Jiu.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 1000 / March 29, 2000) to ICEMENERG.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 9549 / April 14, 2000) to the Ministry of Culture, DMI with comments on the Endless Column’s restoration project elaborated by UAP.

- Sidney Geist – Doina Frumuselu correspondence (May 7 and 25, 2001).

Correspondence II comprises letters written by Romanian and foreign personalities with direct or indirect reference to my activities during the targeted period:

- Letter of CNR for UNESCO (reg. no. 124 / March 13, 1996) to ICEMENERG mentioning the establishment of a UNESCO Club within the institute. During that time I have launched a research programme applying IR thermography to flaw detection on concrete and stone surfaces and their monitoring in order to use it to power structures but also to some historical monuments of Romania. Consequently CNR for UNESCO has agreed with establishing an UNESCO Club within ICEMENERG.

- Barbu Brezianu’s letter of March 19, 1997 addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture.

- Sorana Georgescu-Gorjan’s letters (July 17, 1997) addressed to Ina Klein, Friedrich Teja Bach, Ann Temkin, and David A. Scott requesting their support for the Endless Column’s restoration project of Targu-Jiu elaborated by ICEMENERG.

- Letters of David A. Scott (July 28, 1997) and of Ina Klein (July 29, 1997) addressed to Sorana Georgescu-Gorjan.

- Sidney Geist’s letter (August 4, 1997) addressed to Barbu Brezianu.

- Sorana Georgescu-Gorjan’s letter addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture (reg. no. 5294 / September 18, 1997).

- Letter of Nicolae Diaconu, director of the ‘Constantin Brancusi’ Foundation Targu-Jiu (May 26, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, PIU.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, PIU (reg. no. 804 / August 20, 1999) to the ‘Constantin Brancusi’ Foundation Targu-Jiu.

- Joint letter of the Prefect’s Office for Gorj County, Gorj County Council, Targu-Jiu Municipality, Gorj County Inspectorate of Culture, ‘Constantin Brancusi’ Foundation Targu-Jiu (September 8, 1999) to the Ministry of Culture, World Bank, World Monuments Fund, PIU, International Foundations ‘Constantin Brancusi’ Bucharest submitting the comments on the Technical report of the Targu-Jiu Symposium, June 2–4, 1999.

- Letter of the ‘Constantin Brancusi’ Foundation Targu-Jiu of October 11, 1999 addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture submitting the foundation’s point of view on the Technical report of the Targu-Jiu Symposium, June 2–4, 1999.

- Letter of Jean Constantinescu, chairman of the Commission 2 Energy, National Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation, ANSTI (December 1999) addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture with respect to the improper development stage of the Endless Column’s restoration.

Correspondence III comprises various letters issued by the Ministry of Culture with respect to the Endless Column’s restoration:

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 961 / April 25, 1996) to the Design Centre for the National Cultural Heritage (CPPCN) Bucharest.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 3620 / November 20, 1996) to the Gorj County Inspectorate of Culture.

- Letter of the Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 11210 / November 28, 1996) to CPPCN Bucharest.

- Letter of Ioan Onisei, state secretary to the Ministry of Culture (reg. no. 743 / August 5, 1997) to Targu-Jiu Municipality.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 4 / January 4, 2000) to Targu-Jiu Municipality requesting data on the Column’s site organisation initiated four years ago.

Documents I includes articles and papers elaborated in 1996 – 2002:

- Varia versus Brancusi (VIII–IX) / Endless Column after 59 years, Gorjeanul, Targu-Jiu, VIII / 1931, August 17, 1996; IX / 1932, August 20, 1996- one provides the restoration project without disassembling the Column of Targu-Jiu. I wrote it upon Nicolae Diaconu’s advice, who accompanied me to the ‘Gorjeanul’ offices and submitted it to the daily director. Nicolae Diaconu considered this project should become public with the media’s assistance because too many people, county and city decision makers said they were not aware of it, although it had been submitted at the joint meeting of the Gorj County Council and Targu-Jiu Municipality of April 26, 1996. At that time I left the technical documentation for consultation.

- Study on the pollution impacts on the Endless Column. Solution to fight corrosion, Proceedings of the National Symposium ‘Brancusiana ’97’, Targu-Jiu, March 13–16, 1997- this article countered the data previously submitted by Radu Varia, which indicated an excessive environmental aggressiveness of disastrous impact over the Endless Column’s stability.

- Restoration and conservation technology for the Endless Column – Cultural Ensemble ‘Constantin Brancusi’ Targu-Jiu, paper accompanied by ICEMENERG’s letter (July 1998) to Targu-Jiu Municipality. ICEMENERG offered the paper for free to Targu-Jiu Municipality when the Column had already been disassembled for two years and its components were protected under improper conditions.

- Non-destructive testing to the service of the Cultural Heritage, National Symposium ‘Brancusiana ’98’, Targu-Jiu, October 25–30, 1998. Nicolae Diaconu handed the article to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture who paid a documentation visit to Targu-Jiu and understood the Column expertise can be done in non-destructive manner and not how things had proceeded to that date, by disassembling and taking metal samples.

- Restoration and conservation solution for the ‘Constantin Brancusi’ house, National Symposium ‘Brancusiana 2002’, Targu-Jiu, February 17–19, 2002- this article was submitted in the desire to draw the decision makers’ attention on it being the last chance to observe the moral testament of V. G. Paleolog (1967): ‘The third destiny of Brancusi’s house can be no other but museum’.

Documents II comprises technical reports, opinions, comments, notes that I have elaborated in answer to certain minutes, orders, and reports written by various persons or institutions with respect to Constantin Brancusi’s art monuments of Targu-Jiu:

- Minutes of the joint meeting of the Gorj County Council and Municipal Council Targu-Jiu of April 26, 1996. I attended this meeting and briefly described the stages of the restoration.

technology without disassembling the Column, such presentation being accompanied by a movie better showing what we wanted to do. On this occasion I announced that RENEL provided for free the restoration project for the art monument of Targu-Jiu, and company Terotechnica Romana SA Campulung Muscel would carry out the work using state-of-the-art equipment, asking only for the material and labour costs. However before having a chance to deliver the project and the accompanying film, although my presentation was included in the meeting agenda, several attempts were made by various means to prevent me from taking the floor. Radu Varia shouted: ‘I oppose! This is unfair competition!’ It is only Vasile Toacsen’s energetic intervention as director of RENEL’s Electricity Network Subsidiary and county advisor that brought things to normal. Journalists from local and central media have accurately described the essence of such meeting.

- Presentation to Victor Romert, RENEL chairman of the Endless Column’s restoration project in Targu-Jiu, June 29, 1996.

- Joint order of the Ministry of Research and Technology (reg. no. 1720 / August 5, 1996) and of the Ministry of Culture (reg. no. 1257 / August 5, 1996). The order was issued to sustain the projects coordinated by the International Foundations ‘Constantin Brancusi’ for the Endless Column’s restoration and conservation, although the art monument had been declared ‘asset of public utility and national interest’ under Law 127 / 1992.

- Comments on the joint research programme of the Ministry of Research and Technology and the Ministry of Culture ‘Technical condition expertise and elaborating the restoration projects for the Endless Column’s components’.

- Technical report elaborated by the members of the UNESCO Mission in Bucharest and Targu-Jiu after their visit to Targu-Jiu restoration site of December 4, 1997.

- Comments on the Technical report of the members of the UNESCO Mission after their investigation on the Endless Column.

- Minutes concluded on March 13, 1999 in the offices of the Ministry of Culture, PIU with respect to the Monumental ensemble Heroes’ Road of Targu-Jiu.

- Ministry of Culture, PIU: Topic regarding the non-destructive testing the Endless Column. Such topic was elaborated using the technical offer for non-destructive testing sent by ICEMENERG upon request from the Ministry of Culture, PIU and after many hours of work with the PIU. However the final document makes no mention of the sources used.

- Ministry of Culture, PIU: Topic with respect to restoring the Monumental Ensemble Gate of the Kiss and Table of the Silence from Targu-Jiu.

- Comments on the Preliminary report regarding the technical expertise to the Endless Column’s spine made by Co. VULCAN SA, May 10–20, 1999.

- Treatment Recommendations for the Brancusi Monumental Ensemble Report of Technical Symposium Targu-Jiu and Bucharest, June 2–4, 1999, World Monuments Fund, World Bank, Romanian Ministry of Culture, ‘Constantin Brancusi’ International Foundations, New York, September 1999.

- Letter of Targu-Jiu Municipality (reg. no. 21674 / October 15, 1999) addressed to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture submitting the comments on the Technical report of the Symposium of Targu-Jiu and Bucharest, June 2–4, 1999.

Documents III comprises protocols, reports, notes, opinions, correspondence, other documents issued by persons and institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Research and Technology and to the Ministry of Culture, various service providing companies, the International Foundations ‘Constantin Brancusi’, Targu-Jiu Municipality, etc.

- Protocol regarding the Endless Column’s restoration, development, capitalisation and conservation concluded with the Gorj County Inspectorate of Culture and the International Foundation ‘Constantin Brancusi’, September 13, 1996.

- Report on the disassembling of the Endless Column’s upper modules on September 14, 1996, elaborated by designers and institutes participating in the joint research programme of the Ministry of Research and Technology & Ministry of Culture.

- Endorsement 433-S / 26.09.1996 of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 2630 / 3993 / October 4, 1996) sent to the International Foundation ‘Constantin Brancusi’, CPPCN, Gorj County Inspectorate of Culture as well as to the Gorj County Office for the National Cultural Heritage.

- Report on the disassembling of Endless Column’s modules 15–1 made from October 28 through November 7, 1996, elaborated by designers and institutes participating in the joint research programme of the Ministry of Research and Technology & Ministry of Culture.

- Note concluded on November 7, 1996 in Targu-Jiu, Endless Column’s restoration site elaborated by designers and institutes participating in the joint research programme of the Ministry of Research and Technology & Ministry of Culture.

- Decision no. 30 / March 31, 1997 of the Local Targu-Jiu Council regarding approval of the disassembling for the Endless Column. The approval of the Local Targu-Jiu Council was issued post factum, since the disassembling had already taken place in September–November 1996.

- Opinion on the opportunity to revive the Endless Column, BRANCUSI COLUMN, eng. Alexandru Cismigiu, April 1997. After discussing with architect Gheorghe Sion, ‘head of the complex project for the Column revival’, Prof. Eng. Alexandru Cismigiu, a peak of Romanian seismic engineering ventured at 80 to appreciate the Endless Column’s corrosion and its impact on the monument’s stability without knowing the mode of action and with no investigations on site.

- Endorsement 143-M / 17.07.1997 of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 1738 / July 22, 1997) sent to CPPCN Bucharest with respect to the restoration technology for modules, the terms of reference, site development plan and module restoration workshop.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 2241 / August 26, 1997) to the Targu-Jiu Municipality communicating the membership of the National Historical Monuments Commission and providing the copy of an excerpt from the minutes of CNMI’s meeting of May 20, 1997, on which date the Endless Column’s expertise was endorsed to be made by MCT institutes.

- Endorsement 79-M / 20.05.1997 of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 1156 / 04.06.1997) sent to CPPCN Bucharest with respect to the technical expertise (spine, modules, foundation).

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 2794 / November 7, 1997) to the Television Co., CPPCN, CITEX Co. Targu-Jiu, International Foundations ‘Constantin Brancusi’, Gorj County Inspectorate of Culture and Local Council Targu-Jiu.

- Endorsement 488-M / 25.02.1998 of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 818 / 03.03.1998) sent to CPPCN Bucharest with respect to the execution project, new spine, foundation and the monitoring system.

- ‘Cost estimate for the emergency interventions to the Endless Column of Targu-Jiu’, executed by Dorin Danila, Romanian Fine Arts Union, Bucharest subsidiary, February 16, 1999. Dorin Danila’s cost estimate amounted to 164,900,000 Lei – extremely high sum – planned to be covered by Targu-Jiu Municipality, although the Romanian Government’s loan from the World Bank was meant to settle the expenses with restoration works to the Endless Column.

- Letter of restoration experts Alexandru Lelutiu, Francisc Dosza, Florin Fagarasanu and Mircea Constantinescu, Romania’s National History Museum (reg. no. 344 / February 24, 1999) to Ion Caramitu, minister of culture. This letter provides that ‘one cannot logically motivate why the metallic surface acidity [of the Column’s spine – A/N] is higher than atmospheric acidity’ [Could this have been the intervention of ill-meaning people who wanted a deep degradation of the sustaining spine, in order to justify replacing it? – A/N].

- Sponsorship contract for non-destructive testing to the Endless Column concluded by Co. VULCAN SA as sponsor and the Ministry of Culture, PIU as beneficiary, May 1999. I have been against this sponsorship contract amounting to 395,000,000 Lei because it did not comply with applicable legislation as Co. VULCAN SA had great debts to the state budget. What is more, prior to its being unable to make all the investigations provided in the inquiry issued by the Ministry of Culture, PIU and approved by Targu-Jiu Municipality. The World Bank loan provided money for Column expertise; therefore the sponsorship was not justified.

- Letter of the Ministry of Culture, DMI (reg. no. 1320 / May 5, 1999) to PIU accompanying the favourable endorsement 139-M / 05.05.1999 on the documentation submitted by Co. VULCAN SA for the stage ‘Expertise (non-destructive testing) and emergency intervention to stabilise corrosion until the restoration’.

- Agreement between the parties - Constantin Brancusi International Foundations, the Project Implementation Unit ‘Cultural Heritage’ – World Bank, Mayor of Targu-Jiu City, Co. CITEX SA Targu-Jiu and the Contractor of the non-destructive testing to the Endless Column, May 10–11, 1999.

Press I includes articles published in newspapers and magazines directly referring to my activity serving Brancusi.

Journalist Dumitru Pruna has written: ‘... our councillors have asked bravely a few hot questions to which Mr. Varia has replied as usual evasively and entirely without transparency. The debates were unblocked by the intervention of an attending team of young researchers from ICEMENERG Bucharest that launched the scoop of the day: Mr. Varia’s solution is not exclusive! They have experimented themselves a restoration technology more in line with Brancusi’s spirit, which requires no disassembling. Moreover, the institute is UNESCO acknowledged for monument restoration. So the first authochthonous offer occurred. Let us only hope that decision makers will get enlightened in due time’ (Comentariul zilei / Tripticul brancusian – un „copil” ... nemoșit? [Comment of the day / Brancusi trilogy – one ‘baby’ ... unattended?], Gorjeanul, Targu-Jiu, 1854, May 1, 1996).

After the meeting of April 26, 1996 organised in the Prefect’s Office of Gorj County, the public found out from journalist D. Raveica that: ‘Mrs. Sorana Georgescu-Gorjan, sustained by a number of experts, insisted however during the meeting on the hazards of such method (Column disassembling – A/N), namely the breaking or destroying of component parts. The texts left from her father expressly mention that the work should not be disassembled. There is also one theory that the Column components have glued together in time because of corrosion and of their own weight (Doina Frumuselu’s theory). Under such circumstances, modules cannot detach otherwise than by breaking [...] ICEMENERG Bucharest has in turn provided a restoration offer for the Targu-Jiu Ensemble through Mrs. Doina Frumuselu, senior researcher. They propose recovering the Column without disassembling it. The application methodology for protection layers is approved by Co. Rhône-Poulenc’ (Macainata de dispute si orgolii / Coloana Infinitului a luat-o pe urmele Turnului din Pisa [Torn apart by disputes and egos / the Endless Column follows in the footsteps of the Tower of Pisa], Vocea Romaniei (government newspaper), Bucharest, 735, May 4, 1996).

The newspaper Romania libera published RENEL’s press release communicating that the energy research centre ICEMENERG has devised the restoration technologies for the Endless Column and for the stone components of the Monumental Ensemble Heroes’ Road from Targu-Jiu that it provides for free to the state and local decision makers (S. Calin, O solutie romaneasca in restaurarea Coloanei Infinitului [A Romanian solution for the Endless Column’s restoration], Romania libera, Bucharest, June 27, 1996).

The ‘Adevarul literar si artistic’ magazine published my first interview with art critic and journalist Cornel Radu Constantinescu after submitting the Column’s restoration project without disassembling at the April 26, 1996 meeting of the Gorj County Council (Brancusi – Coloana Infinitului / Solutia „totul la pamant”? [Brancusi – Endless Column / the ‘All down’ solution?], Adevarul literar si artistic, Bucharest, V, 318, May 1997)

In the open letter to all cultural forums of Romania, July 18, 1997 published in the magazine Romania literara Sorana Georgescu-Gorjan has written: ‘There is an alternative solution proposed by the corrosion experts team from ICEMENERG (Research centre of RENEL), director Jean Constantinescu, project manager Doina Frumuselu) which takes into account the initial technical data and observes the restoration ethics’.

Adevarul daily printed the letter that Sidney Geist sent to Barbu Brezianu. Here is Geist’s opinion on how to solve the Endless Column’s unending problems: ‘Two things need to be done, and soon. First, the immediate removal of Radu Varia from the position of sole person in charge of the restoration - a position for which he has not the least qualification, and in which he has demonstrated only that he himself is the greatest danger the Column has had to undergo. Second, the restoration should be turned over at once to ICEMENERG, Bucharest who can do more harm. The reasons are easy to see: ICEMENERG are a group, not a single person; they are qualified in every technical aspect of the complex problem; they are in touch with other experts and are ready to cooperate with art historians and museologists; they are Romanians living in Romania, close to the problem, fully aware of what is at stake, and sympathetic to the ideals the Column embodies’ (Un eminent brancusiolog american, Sidney Geist, considera ca / Radu Varia este cel mai mare pericol abattut asupra Coloanei [A prestigious American expert on Brancusi, Sidney Geist, considers Radu Varia as the greatest danger to the Column], Adevarul, Bucharest, August 12, 1997).

In 1998, brilliant art historian Radu Bogdan makes a thorough analysis of what happens to the Endless Column: ‘Therefore a project to protect temporarily the Column until restoration is resumed should have been elaborated beforehand. Answering a question on this issue Radu Varia stated it would be elaborated as soon as possible. He however could not provide a completion term. The odd thing is, as also shown on this occasion, that such a project, submitted long ago for free to the Ministry of Culture, to the Prefect’s Office of Gorj County and Targu-Jiu Municipality by eng. Doina Frumuselu, head of the Corrosion and Environmental Laboratory of the Energy Research and Modernising Institute, member, among others, of the National Union of Historical Monument Restorers as well as of the prestigious British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing has been completely disregarded. Similarly the consideration of an expert compendium with critical comments was systematically avoided, since based on such it would have been only natural to invite Doina Frumuselu to meet Radu Varia’s specialists and UNESCO experts and have amiable talks with them. Such manoeuvres, schemed by one knows not who, appear downright suspicious. (Then, paraphrasing the well-known play title I ask myself: Who is afraid of Doina Frumuselu?)’ (La Targu-Jiu, unde se face autopsia Coloanei Infinitie de trei ani, au avut loc / Dezbatere la „Brancusienei 1998” [The proceedings of ‘Brancusiana 1998’ took place / in Targu-Jiu, where the Endless Column’s dissection has been furthered for three years], Adevarul literar si artistic, Bucharest, VI, November 17, 1998).

In February 2000 the Regasirea’s editorial team found that: ‘Here we are this March 1, 2000. For over four years we have snatched Romania’s greatest plastic masterpiece by accepting imposture, stupidity and false councils, all peaked by TV interviews and press conferences, and we are not certain we can mend it back. Cui prodest? Who wanted it like this, light-heartedly and dark-scheming? Who approved it? Who is responsible?’ (Sorana Georgescu-Gorjan, Restoration, whereto? / Endless Column, Regasirea, Bucharest, February 2000).

The speech of Ion Caramitu, minister of culture to the press conference of the Romanian Peasant Museum, July 2000 was published in Lumea Gorjeteasca (Targu-Jiu). Minister Ion Caramitu acknowledges the ICEMENERG restoration project without saying why it has been disregarded.

Other articles written from 1996 to 2001 by Viorica Rusu, Cornel Radu Constantinescu, Laurentia Stelea, Radu Bogdan, Isabela Manta, Narcis Daju, Nicolae Diaconu and Nicolae Giosi have been published in Adevarul literar si artistic and in the ‘Capital’ magazines of Bucharest, as well as in the ‘Opinia’ and ‘Gorjeanul’ dailies of Targu-Jiu.

Press II comprises other interviews, events, pro and against opinions with respect to the Endless Column’s restoration published in large circulation central and Gorj County newspapers and magazines (1996 – 2001).

Lasting impressions provides two interviews (excerpts) recorded by journalist Andra Dumitrescu for ‘Obiectiv Gorj Magazin’ of Targu-Jiu, where each one states an opinion about what had happened about 10 years ago. A bridge over time!

This was the introduction to the documentary book Serving Brancusi that I attempted to describe in brief with as few personal interventions as possible in order to allow readers get informed and then ponder on the materials placed at their disposal.

I have devised this book, testimony of six years of my life and other three for its completion, to become a guide for those who want to start Serving Brancusi so as to take everything that is well done and avoid all that has been wrongly done so far.

Life is short and it deserves being lived to the fullest loving the gifts we receive on earth and serving those we cherish and love!

Dr. Doina Frumuselu

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