This first book dedicated to the life and art of Romanian-American artist Vlaicu Ionescu (1922-2002), using a rich archive of documents, photos, letters, autobiographical papers, and the artist’s lectures on art, places Ionescu in the history of modern art, with a unique plastic universe, a vivid chromatic vision, and an impressive density of symbols. The 352-page book covers work executed between 1945 and 1997 and is exquisitely illustrated with over 250 color photos of paintings and 50 photos of drawings. The well-documented edition includes an illustrated catalogue raisonné, a bibliography of selected writings by and about the artist, a list of his exhibitions, and essays by art critics.

A consummate art book that presents (in a bilingual English-Romanian edition) the complete plastic oeuvre of Vlaicu Ionescu, hundreds of paintings and drawings, and manifests the splendor and precision of polichromy that overflows from his landscapes, portraits, still-lifes, and symbolic compositions, metaphysical and abstract. The volume presents the life of this Romanian-born artist, established in the United States in the second half of his life. This chronicle worthy of a Bildungsroman develops the historic context in which a dissident artist was formed who refused to make ideological and political concessions or to abandon the esthetic imperatives that define his oeuvre as a painter. 

The book is an erudite study of this multifaceted artist. A true “Renaissance man” who studied philosophy, mathematics, architecture, music, and the arts, Vlaicu Ionescu taught courses in Philosophy of Art at the Volkshochschule in Munich and wrote books, conference papers, and articles on art. Vlaicu Ionescu exhibited extensively in the United States, Germany, Romania, Italy, and France. He received the Award of the “Leonardo da Vinci” Academy in Rome and the Award of the Académie Internationale de Lutèce, International Contest, Paris, France. 

About the Author

World-renowned writer Doina Uricariu is an important figure in contemporary Romanian literature: a poet, critic, writer, historian of art and literature, and winner of several national and international literature and poetry awards. Her volumes have been translated into numerous foreign languages. She has authored volumes dedicated to the avant-garde and to Romanian artists such as Maria Pillat-Brateş and Constantin Antonovici. Dr. Uricariu received many international awards for editorial activity. She is a Knight of the Romanian Crown, and a Knight of the Romanian Order “Faithful Service” for creative activity and culture. She lives in New York where she is Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute.