Paul Neagu

Paul Neagu (Bucharest, 1938 - London, 2004) was a nationally important Romanian artist, working in diverse media such as drawing, sculpture, and watercolors. But his work is also internationally recognised. He died in London and Flowers East have since organised sales of works left in his estate.

His influences include cubism and Marcel Duchamp.

His works can be found in public collections including, among others, the British Museum, London, le Fond departemental d'art contemporain, Seine Saint-Denis, Bobigny, France, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin, the Musee Cantonal de Beaux Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland, the National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest, the Philadelphia Art Museum, Philadelphia, USA, and the Tate Gallery, London.

"For Paul Neagu, art is an expression of 'desire in the face ofthe systems that attempt to inhibit it', as he writes, and desireinvolves 'the recovery' of what he calls, variously, the 'hyphen,' the'abstract', the 'gamma', all of which involve the 'bodily', conveyedparticularly through the 'figural essence of sculpting, paintings,drawings'. Neagu's works, whatever their medium, are certainly full ofdesire, as their visceral energy suggests." Donald Kuspit

While by no means a household name, Neagu finds an important place in the history of contemporary Romanian art.

References

"Nine Catalytic Stations / Noua statiuni catalitice", a study in hylesic symbolism, Editura Anastasia, Romania, 2003, by Matei Stircea-Craciun

External links

* [http://www.sculpture.org.uk/artists/PaulNeagu/ Paul Neagu] at Sculpture.org.uk
** [http://www.sculpture.org.uk/portfolio/PaulNeagu/ Portfolio]
* [http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/announcements/romanian-culture-in-the-uk/2008/05/remember-paul-neagu/ Remember Paul Neagu] Memorial article from the Romainian Cultural Centre.