Nina Arbore

Nina Arbore
Self-portrait (1937)
Born	October 8, 1889 Tecuci
Died	March 7, 1942 Bucharest
Education	Academy of Fine Arts, Munich
Awards	First class prize at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition

Tamara Nina Arbore(1889 – 1942) was a Romanian painter and illustrator, known for herstill-lifesand portraits.

Life and work

Her father,Zamfirand older sister,Ecaterinawere both well-known political activists. She took her first art lessons fromNicolae Vermontwhile she was attending the public schools in Bucharest. In 1906, she enrolled at the Women's Academy of the Munich Artists' Association, where she studied withAngelo Jank.After completing her studies, she went to Paris, where she found a position in the studio ofHenri Matisse.

Upon her return to Bucharest, she held her first personal exhibition there. Together with her friends,Cecilia Cuțescu-StorckandOlga Greceanu,she formed what was known as the "Grup al celor trei doamne" (Group of Three Ladies),as a counterweight to the "Grupul celor patru" (Group of Four), consisting ofNicolae Tonitza,Francisc Șirato,Ștefan DimitrescuandOscar Han.In 1916, her group became the founders of the "Asociația femeilor pictore și sculptore" (Association of Female Sculptors and Painters), which was sponsored by theRomanian royal family.

Many of her paintings were bought byAlexandru Bogdan-Pitești,a noted critic, poet and art collector, who wrote extensively about her work, comparing it to classicalByzantine artand the works of theQuattrocento.She was awarded a first-class prize at the1929 Barcelona International Exposition.

Her reputation was enhanced by a series of social-awareness themed engravings and illustrations done for the magazineCuvântul Liberduring the thirties. Her drawings also appeared inRomânia Muncitoare.

In addition to her canvases, she provided decorations for the Church of Saint Constantine and Elena inConstanțaand the Church of Elijah the Tishbite inSinaia.For many years, she participated in exhibitions held by the fine arts society ofBessarabia.She was also a teacher at the "Academy of Decorative Arts", founded byM. H. Maxy.Following her sister's execution in 1937, she retired from public life. Her death appears to have been the result of an accident.

Selected paintings

• 
  Portrait of a Woman
• 
  Yellow Tulips
• 
  Portrait of her brother, Dumitriu
• 
  Vase with Lilies
• 
  Two Sisters

Further reading

• Gheorghe Vida, "Nina Arbore", (from the series,Maeştri basarabeni din secolul XX), Arc, 2004,ISBN997-561-379-9
• Tudor Braga,Nina Arbore: The Lady of Romanian Fine Arts.Online@ Akademos

External links

Media related toNina Arboreat Wikimedia Commons

• Nina Arbore@ the Centre for Romanian Studies.
• Nina Arbore@Ziarul Financiar