Constantin Brancusi – The Montparnasse Saint

Although he was born in Romania, his  achievements were in France. He also died in Paris and with his last words were :”I die with a sad heart because I can’t return to my country.”

Constantin Brancusi was born on 19 February 1876 in a village called Hobita, being an independent child from an early age.

He runs off his home several times but he is found and returned to his home.

In 1889 Brancusi is in Craiova as an salesman at the Spirtaru brothers, in a shop, working 18 hours every day to “make fortune” as he said it that time. He will remain here almost 9 years and in 1893 he follows the classes of the Vocational School and he becomes an eminent student.

At 31 August 1895 he is accepted in the specialization “Wood sculpture” that he finishes in 1897 on the first place, in the same year shaping the bust of the founder of the school Gheorghe Chitu.

On 30 September 1898, Brancusi registers at the National School of Fine Arts from Bucharest and he graduates it in 1902, second on his promotion.

In 1903 Brancusi realizes his first remarkable sculpture: the bust of the General Carol Davila.

In 1904 he travels by foot to Paris, stopping several times at Budapest and Vienna. Then he settles a time at Munchen where he registers at the Belle Art Royal Academy, and in order to pay his taxes he works as an orderly.

He comes to Paris in 14 July 1904 where he rents with another friend a room in an attic of a house.

In 1905 Brancusi is accepted to sustain an exam at the National School of Belle Art in Paris. The young Romanian passes it and becomes the student of Antonin Mercie, the head of the sculpture workshop of school. In the same year Brancusi enters in “Cercles des etudiants roumains” among other famous Romanians like George Enescu, Aurel Vlaicu, Henri Coanda, Ion Pillat, Camil Ressu.