Nihil Sine Deo
European Commission
Berlaymont - Summa Artis
For the official opening of the new Berlaymont Building Headquarter of the European Commission in 2006 in Brussels, the European Union wanted to combine art and politics. To do so, several representative paintings where exposed, among them paintings by Emil Ciocoiu, in order to embellish the corridors and the conference rooms of the building.
Some extracts from the"Berlaymont Summa Artis" brochure:
"Building upon the original architectural lines, the Berlaymont is newly equipped. It also provides beautiful spaces for social gatherings and art exhibitions. Since 2006, some 350 artworks loaned by the Member States have been installed in the common spaces of the building, with the active involvement of the services of the Office for Infrastructure and Logistics-European Commission (OIB) and the advice of the art expert Mr. Luc Theuwis (Art and Advice), who volunteered for this project devoting a great deal of his personal time. Thus, the Berlaymont has become a showcase of European contemporary art, each single space having its own atmosphere.
The purpose of this catalogue is therefore to show the public how art integrates perfectly in the magnificent architecture of the Berlaymont, while the building itself remains a busy centre of political and administrative activity".
"Contribution of Romania - Unity in diversity: the Romanian chefs d'oeuvre presented in the Summa Artis exhibition are representative pieces of contemporary art. The four artists, Emil Ciocoiu, Marilena Preda Sânc, Sultana Maitec and Peter Jecza, with very strong and distinct personalities and yet very similar in spirit, represent, for all of us, a successful model of integration - integration within their generation of artists and reconfirmation of the European an international dimension of the Romanian art. This mix of strong authenticity and universality constitutes the mystery, the charm and the added value of the European culture and this is the main message that we try to transmit through these exhibits."
"Based on Byzantine culture and impressionistic influences Emil Ciocoiu has over the years developed a completely independent identity in terms of style and form. Colour, vibrations, associations, contemplation transformed into art, agitated harmony, a sense of infinity, these are some of the terms used by the critics to describe the work of this artist. Contact with people, the ever accelerating pace of life in our hectic modern world, the increasing aggression, all this he observes with his 'inner eye' and transforms it in his paintings into increasingly dense and perceivable vibrations with a special unique identity" (Jorg Engelbrecht, 1995).