Marginality, Rise, and Authority in G. Oprescu’s Career. A Critical Reading
Marginality, Rise, and Authority in G. Oprescu’s Career. A Critical Reading
Author(s): Ioana ApostolSubject(s): History, Language and Literature Studies, Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Cultural history, History of Art
Published by: Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai
Keywords: Biography; George Oprescu; Romanian Art Historiography; Art Criticism; Cultural Capital; Interwar and Postwar Romania;
Summary/Abstract: George Oprescu (1881-1969), a canonical voice in Romanian art historiography, established himself in the mid-20th century as a university professor, art critic, museum director, and founder of the Institute of Art History in Bucharest. Behind this symbolic authority lies an unconventional path, largely overlooked, as he entered academia relatively late in life, around the age of fifty. A social and professional outsider, lacking formal training in art history, he rose to prominence through his ability to adapt across divergent ideological contexts. This study examines how Oprescu accumulated and sustained symbolic and cultural capital over time, combining biographical reading with discourse analysis to explore the interplay between personal formation, institutional authority, and historiographical voice.
Journal: Caietele Echinox
- Issue Year: 2026
- Issue No: 50
- Page Range: 49-66
- Page Count: 18
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF
