On 21 June 2024, in the courtyard of the historic Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, the opening ceremony of the exhibition Tatras. Wróblewski, Karłowicz, Wyczółkowski. The exhibition, which was displayed last year at the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology in Krakow, made a new appearance at the Museum in Sibiu, this time inaugurating the first ever Poland-Romania Cultural Season 2024-2025, which aims to develop and strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries. 

WThe event was opened by the anthems of Poland and Romania played by the orchestra. The first speech was given by Alexandru Chituță, director of the Brukenthal National Museum – the institution hosting the exhibition.

This was followed by a speech by Hanna Wróblewska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage in Poland, who pointed out the double significance of the event. She emphasised the wide and varied nature of the events organised as part of the Season – music, theatre, exhibitions, film and literature, and the fact that they will take place not only in the capitals but many Polish and Romanian cities. “I hope that this programme will contribute to the strengthening of mutual relations and the friendship that for a long time has united our countries,” the Minister said, “However, it is important that any strategic partnership of this kind is filled with content. It seems to me that this season gives us such hope. We have managed to involve the most important cultural institutions in both countries, so we hope that this cooperation will not end with the Season but will continue.”

Further speeches were given by Raluci Turcan, Minister of Culture and National Heritage in Romania, and Liviu Jijckman, President of the Romanian Cultural Institute. Olga Wysocka, director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, emphasised the role of art in building intercultural ties: “I believe that art is the finest bridge between our cultures. That is why during the Cultural Season we will present to you the most outstanding works of Polish artists of the 20th and 21st centuries”. In the end, the floor was taken by the co-founders of the Andrzej Wróblewski Foundation and the curators Wojciech Grzybała and Magdalena Ziółkowska, who explained the idea of the exhibition to the guests. The entire event was translated into Romanian, Polish and English.

After the official part, the guests made their way to the exhibition space, where a curator’s guided tour took place. The exhibition, presenting the works of three artists who had a major impact on Polish culture and art in the 19th and 20th centuries: Andrzej Wróblewski, Mieczysław Karłowicz and Leon Wyczółkowski, will run until September 1, 2024. It is curated by Professor Anna Król, Dr Magdalena Ziółkowska and Wojciech Grzybała. The event has been organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Andrzej Wróblewski Foundation, the Brukenthal National Museum and the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology in Krakow, in collaboration with the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Polish Institute in Bucharest.