CRITICAL REVIEW


        In order to develop the issue of a "pure painting", his works start from an intense empathy with nature. Nature as a premise for peace, regeneration, fertility or nature as a premise for an enchanting cosmic game - just like the rainbow. His approach becomes visibly modified when his meditation focuses on existential events, both on those that happened once, in a timeless age, absorbed by mythology, or in recent history, up until the hot plasma of current times. The image changes its structure in order to communicate the restlessness and the dramatic nature. The human figure passes through the chromatic masses, breaking sometimes even the agreement of the frame and therefore pushing the representation towards the conventions of three-dimensionality. In the Hearts series, the shape goes through a series of plastic processes - from the painted image to relief and the sculptural condition. The artist also distinguished himself through monumental art works, realized in the tapestry technique: The Hymn of Man at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the composition destined to the lobby of the National Theatre from Bucharest.

Constantin Prut (2014)
Dicționar de artă modernă și contemporană, upcoming, Polirom Publishing House, Iasi, 2015
 


IMAGES



    BIOGRAPHY

    (Constanta, 1932 - Paris, 2007; 1965 - 1968 - he established in Rome, 1968 - 1977 - returned in the country, and in 1977 - he established in Paris)

    Academic studies:
    1956 - The "Nicolae Grigorescu" Fine Arts Institute, Monumental Art department, class of professor Gheorghe Labin, Bucharest, Romania;
    1965 - 1968 - Free studies The Romanian Academy, Rome, Italy;
    1977 - 1983 - Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France.

    Study scholarships and residences:
    1962 - The "Frederic and Cecilia Cuţescu-Storck" Scholarship;
              - The Romanian Academy Scholarship.
     


    PROJECTS

    Personal exhibitions:
    1958 - "Magheru" Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
    1967 - "Simeza" Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
    1968 - "Il Bilico" Gallery, Rome, Italy;
    1972 - Simu Museum, Bucharest, Romania;
    1976 - The New Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
              - The Fine Artist’s Union Gallery - Cluj-Napoca Branch, Romania;
             - Visual Arts Museum, Galati, Romania;
             - "Victoria" Gallery, Iasi, Romania;
    1977 - The Fine Artist’s Union Gallery - Timisoara Branch, Romania;
    1978 - Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France;
    1979 - Maison de la Culture, Thonon-les-Bains, France;
    1980 - Palais Saint-Jean, Lyon, France;
             - Centre d’information de l’EPIDA, L’Isle d’Abeau, France;
    1987 - The Romanian National Museum of Art, Bucharest, Romania;
    1993 - Institut Culturel Roumain, Paris, France;
    1999 - The Radio House, Bucharest, Romania;
    2000 - Country, Peasant, Soil, The Agriculture Museum, Slobozia, Ialomita, Romania;
    2003 - In Brancoveanu’s Gardens, The Brancovian Palaces, Mogosoaia, Romania;
    2004 - Pays, paysan, poussièere, Palazzo Stella, Bologna, Italy;
              - La force des racines, Valmore Studio D’arte, Vicenza, Italy;
    2005 - Pays, Paysan, Poussièere, The Romanian Academy, Padoue, Italy;
    2006 - "Dialog" Gallery, Caen, Abbaye D’Ardenne, France;
              - Dialog on the Original Ground, Château Royal de Collioure, Abbaye aux Dames, Caen Galerie Marchetti, Rome, Italy;
    2008 - De la terre à l’oeuvre - la force des racines, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Acri, Italy;
              - Retrospective exhibition, The Leonardo da Vinci Cultural Centre, San Donà di Piave, Italy;
              - Yesterday, Not a Long Time Ago, itinerary exhibition, The "Curtea Veche" Antiques Gallery, Bucharest; Museum of Art, Constanta; "Dana" Gallery, Iasi, Romania;
    2008 - 2009 - Hommage à Ion Nicodim, the restoration of the fresco The Foundation, The Brancovian Palaces Mogosoaia Cultural Centre, Romania;
    2009 - Testament, Museum of Art, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
              - Easiness of the Wind - Heaviness of the Earth, "Arcade" Gallery, Bistrita-Nasaud, Romania.

    Group exhibitions*:
    1955, 1963 - The Annual Salon, "Dalles" Hall, Bucharest, Romania;
    1956 - "Kalinderu" Hall, Bucharest, Romania;
    1963 - The Youth Biennale, Museum of Modern Art, Paris, France;
    1968 - "Simeza" Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
              - The Figurative Arts Quadriennale, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, Italy;
    1969 - The Art International Biennale 4 Artistas Romenos, São Paolo, Brazil;
              - "Apollo" Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
              - The Graphic Arts Biennale, Ljubljana, Slovenia;
              - The International Painting Festival Cagnes-sur-Mer, France;
    1970 - Monstra di Arte Figurativa Contemporanea Romena, Torino, Italy;
             - Biennale of Original Design, Rijeka, Croatia;
             - European Graphic Artists, Vienna, Austria;
             - Group M58, Copenhagen, Denmark;
    1973 - 25 Years of Romanian Art, Romanian National Museum of Arts, Bucharest, Romania;
             - The Contemporary Artist and His Universe, Contemporary Arts Museum, Bucharest, Romania;
    1974 - Art and Energy, "Nouă" Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
    1975 - Art and History, "Nouă" Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
    1977 - Self-portrait , Museum of Art, Iasi, Romania;
             - Operating Foreign Artists in Italy, Figurative Arts Quadriennale, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, Italy;
    1978 - Salon de Mai, Esplanade de la Défense, Paris, France;
             - "Hervé Odermatt" Gallery, Paris, France;
             - Study, Museum of Art, Timisoara, Romania;
    1979 - Nouvelle acquisitions, Museum of Modern Art, Paris, France;
    1979, 1980, 1986 - Salon de Montrouge, Montrouge, France;
    1980 - International Art Exhibition, Paris, France;
    1981 - Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, Grand Palais, Paris, France;
             - Festival International de Peinture, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France;
    1982 - International Art Biennale, Giardini di Castelo, Padiglione Centrale, Venice, Italy;
              - Travaux sur papier, objects, photos, Villeparisis, France;
              - Comparaisons, Grand Palais, Paris, France;
    1983 - Art against / contre Apartheid, Fondation Nationale des Arts Graphiques et Plastique, Paris, France;
    1984 - Art against / contre Apartheid, itinerary exhibition, Copenhagen (Denmark), Tampere (Finland) and Lund (Sweden);
    1985 - Commission de la Communauté Européenne, Brussels, Belgium;
              - Contemporary Engraving Biennale, 4th;
              - Art against / contre Apartheid, itinerary exhibition, Madrid and Barcelona (Spain), Marseille (France);
    1988 - Votre rencontre avec l’art contemporain, Paris, France;
              - Nicodim - Scwimberghe - Faure - Condé, Galeria „ADCA”, Longjumeau, France;
    1989 - Poésie en Roumanie, Centre National d’art et de Culture „Georges Pompidou” Paris, France;
    1989, 1990 - FIAC Edition, SAGA 89, Grand Palais, Paris, France;
    1990 - Art moderne et contemporain, pour une fondation européenne de recherche sur la SIDA, Salle Drouot-Montaigne, Paris, France;
             - CEuvres et témoignages audiovisuels, Hôtel de Lassay, Paris, France;
    1991 - C’Arte, Museum of Collections, Bucharest, Romania;
             - Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Romanian-American Academy, Bucharest, Romania;
             - Ministry of Culture, Bucharest, Romania;
    1992 - Kunster gestalten fahnen für Eichenau, Eichenau, Germany;
             - Romanian Artists, Romanian National Museum of Art, Bucharest, Romania;
             - L’Amore - dall’Olimpo all’alcova, Molle Antonelliana, Turin, Italy;
              - Hommage à Mircea Eliade et à Emil Cioran, Maison de l’UNESCO, Paris, France;
    1994 - Theme. Comparative Art Essay, Romanian Museum of Modern Art, Bucharest, Romania;
    1995 - Venice Biennale, Italy;
             - Plastic Sequences, Romanian Museum of Modern Art, Bucharest, Romania;
    1996 - Experiment - 40 Years of Avant-garde Art in Romania, National Brukenthal Museum, Sibiu, Romania;
    1997 - The Spirit of Art, Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, Romania; edition, Baden-Baden, Germany;
             - 7 x 7, Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, Romania;
    1998 - Angels, National Museum of Romanian Literature, Bucharest, Romania;
             - Romanian Exhibition of Picture an Sculpture, Yokohama, Japan;
    1999 - House, painting and sculpture exhibition, Targoviste, Dambovita, Romania;
    2000 - Ritual for the Earth Thirst, Museum of the Romanian Peasant, Bucharest, Romania;
    2001 - The Crosses State, Museum of the Romanian Peasant, Bucharest, Romania;
    2005 - Friends and Colleagues with Paul Gherasim, "Curtea Veche" Antique Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
    2006 - Miart, Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain, Milano, Italy;
    2007 - Bitzan, Maitec, Mitroi, Nicodim, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, Romania;
    2007, 2008 - "Nord" Gallery, Bucharest, Romania;
    2011 - Abstractionism. The Voices of Matter, The Brancovian Palaces Cultural Centre, Mogosoaia, Ilfov, Romania.

    Monumental works:
    1962 - Tapestry (16 m2), The Ministry of Culture, Bucharest, Romania;
    1963 - Tapestry (45 m2), Romania’s gift to The United Nations, placed in New York (1970);
    1965 - Mosaic(40 m2), Middle School, Pitesti, Arges, Romania;
    1968 - Concrete Wall, collage and shuttering in metal (34 m2), Hotel Nord, Bucharest, Romania;
    1970 - Tapestry (40 m2), The Ministry of Youth, Bucharest, Romania;
    1977 - Tapestry (105 m2), The National theatre, Bucharest, Romania;
    1979 - The Foundation Fresco (32 m2), The Military Museum, Bucharest, Romania;
    1980 - Ceramics Panel (12 m2), Polysius Society, Rueil-Malmaison, France;
              - Fresco (36 m2), private residence, Paris, France;
    1982 - Ceramics Panel (36 m2), Olimp Hotel, Constanta, Romania;
    1988 - Fresco (32 m2), The Military Museum, Bucharest, Romania;
    1991 - The Monument of the Romanian Revolution Victims from December 1989, instalment of a bronze sculpture in the Regal Palace Square (dimensions: 280 x 260 x 170 cm), Bucharest, Romania;
    1992 - Chandelier (bronze, Ø 5,60 m x 3,60 m), "Mara" Hotel, Sinaia, Prahova, Romania.

    Prizes and awards:
    1964 - The Romanian Fine Artists’s Union Prize;
    1968 - UNESCO Prize, Rome, Italy;
    1970 - Prize for Original Design, Rijeka, Yugoslavia;
    1975 - Prize of the Romanian Academy;
    1976 - UN awarded him with the Planetary Citizen Prize;
    1978 - The Romanian Fine Artists Union Prize;
    1981 - Mentioning at The International Painting Festival from Cagnes-sur-Mer, France;
    1982 - Guest of Honor at the Venice Biennale in the international selection;
    1987 - The "Arta" Magazine prize awarded by The Romanian Fine Artists’ Union;
    1992 - Gottfried von Herder Prize for his entire career.

    * Group exhibitions: 1985 - Brussels, Belgium.​​​
     


    BIBLIOGRAPHY

    Bibliography:
    Nicodim-Gèze, Ilinca, Ion Nicodim, Editura Humanitas, București, 2012.
    Prut, Constantin, Dicționar de artă modernă și contemporană, Editura Univers Enciclopedic, București, 2002.

    Web sources:
    http://artindex.ro/2013/04/17/nicodim-ion/
    http://nicodim.jimdo.com/rom%C3%A2n%C4%83/curriculum-vitae/
    http://www.observatorcultural.ro/*articleID_26264-articles_details.html