MARe: the Museum of Recent Art – A Gem in Europe’s Cultural Landscape
by Alexandra I. Mas
Romania is increasingly emerging as a destination for cultural exploration and investment. Since the fall of communism, the country has captivated art collectors and cultural connoisseurs with its resilient and profound artistic heritage. Despite the challenging constraints of that era, Romanian art flourished, developing a distinctive and enduring language that nurtures talent and fosters creativity to this day.
Amid Bucharest’s vibrant cultural landscape stands MARe – The Museum of Recent Art, a remarkable institution and a true gem located in one of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods. Opened in October 2018, MARe is the first private museum in Romania dedicated exclusively to contemporary art from the last century. It offers visitors an extraordinary experience of discovery, combining visionary architecture with a thoughtfully curated collection.
This contemporary museum appears as if a classic bourgeois villa has been dramatically elevated and reimagined, its structure seamlessly merging glass, steel, and a neomodernist Mediterranean aesthetic. The result is a small yet labyrinthine space – a symbolic “bunker in the air,” as it has been described by curator Dan Popescu – that feels at once intimate and profound. The architecture’s interplay between tradition and innovation reflects the museum’s broader philosophy: to honor the past while embracing the future. Designed by YTAA (Youssef Tohme Architects from Beirut/Paris), the building spans 1,200 square meters across five intricately layered levels. Complementing this innovative architecture are interior design elements by Noro Khatchatryan of Brussels and landscape planning by Ana Marti-Baron (MDP Michel Desvigne).

The Museum and Its Vision
At the heart of MARe lies the extraordinary collection of Roger Akoury. His vision transcended private ownership, transforming his extensive collection into a permanent institution. This bold act established MARe as a cultural legacy and a testament to the enduring value of contemporary art.
As Curator Dan Popescu explains, “The museum was built around a collection, the foremost collector of contemporary art in Romania, who went a step further and built an institution.” Guided by art historian Erwin Kessler, and gallerists Suzana Vasilescu and Dan Popescu, the museum adopted a thematic and chronological approach to organizing its permanent collection.
The collection embodies the concept of “recent art,” a term rich in intellectual resonance. Described by Popescu as the linguistic “past continuous,” recent art represents a historical thread that remains active, a past still present in its influence and relevance. This idea permeates the museum’s curatorial vision, shaping both its layout and its thematic coherence.

Showcasing this Remarkable Collection
At any given time, MARe presents over 150 carefully curated works, offering an immersive and dynamic visitor experience. The museum’s permanent collection boasts more than 1,000 works by over 250 Romanian and international artists, including Ion Țuculescu, Andrei Cădere, Horia Bernea, Ion Grigorescu, Dan Perjovschi, Herman Nitsch, Lucio Fontana, and Michelangelo Pistoletto.
The building itself is thoughtfully organized to serve the museum’s curatorial mission. Visitors begin their journey in the basement, which houses an exhibition space and an auditorium. The ground floor features a shop and a cozy cafeteria, while the first and second floors are dedicated to the permanent collection. The attic provides space for additional exhibitions, workshops, a library, and a reading room, with three intermediate levels serving as platforms for curated thematic exhibits. A spacious garden surrounds the museum, extending the experience into the outdoors.

Curatorial Vision and Visitor Experience
MARe offers visitors a meticulously designed journey through the intricate interplay of art, history, and innovation. The thematic organization is crafted to ignite curiosity and rekindle the joy of discovery. The labyrinthine layout surprises and challenges visitors, encouraging exploration with a sense of wonder and anticipation. Each turn reveals unexpected perspectives, allowing the artworks to unfold their hidden narratives organically.
A distinctive feature of the museum is its inclusion of reflective areas which serve as moments of pause and introspection. These transitional zones provide conceptual bridges between different eras, styles, and themes, inviting visitors to engage deeply with the layered meanings behind the collection.
The collection itself brings a particularly poignant dimension to the visitor experience when highlighting the subversive brilliance of artists from the Communist era. Many of these masters used subtle symbols and encoded messages to navigate the oppressive restrictions of censorship, transforming their works into acts of quiet resistance. Their art often carried hidden critiques, spiritual depth, or cultural significance that eluded the watchful eyes of authorities but resonated profoundly with those who could decipher them.
When showcasing these dissident voices alongside works by contemporary living artists, MARe creates a dialogue between the past and the present, celebrating the continuity of Romanian artistic expression. The contrasts between tradition and innovation, freedom and repression, abstraction and symbolism, provide a layered understanding of how Romanian art evolved. This juxtaposition underscores the resilience of these artists while highlighting the enduring relevance of their vision. MARe is a preserver of cultural heritage, a promoter of emerging talent, and a beacon of intellectual and artistic freedom.