Romania’s oldest traditional blouse ‘ia’ goes on display at Art Safari in Bucharest

Cămașa de la Brețcu, Trei Scaune, the oldest traditional ia blouse in Romania, dated 1798, is the star of a new temporary exhibition hosted by Art Safari in downtown Bucharest. Open from November 30, 2023, to January 14, 2024, the show also features other traditional treasures and vintage photographs from the collection of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant.

The exhibition celebrates the National Day of Romania on December 1.

The traditional blouse, the show's central piece, is part of the museum's Mostre collection, consisting of cultural assets of great artistic and documentary value, which play the role of witness to popular art from the 18th and 19th centuries. It was purchased by Alexandru Tzigara-Samurcaș, former director of the "Carol I" National Art Museum from Brețcu, Trei Scaune.

The blouse integrates into the specifics of the area, being wrinkled at the neck in the Carpathian style, with embroidery on the shoulder. Unfortunately, the sleeve has not stood the test of time.

"The partnership expressed through this exhibition, marking Romania's National Day, is a symbol of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant's desire to support the private promoters of Romania's cultural heritage, as well as our country's initiatives to highlight the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Romanian nation, by promoting the traditional blouse with embroidery on the shoulder (altiță) from Romania and Moldova at UNESCO," said Virgil Nițulescu, manager of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant.

Art Safari will be open during the November 30-December 3 mini-break. It will also hold special Night Tours on December 1, from 08:00 pm, with live music and traditional Romanian art and drinks. 

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(Photo source: the organizers/the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant's archive)