Mihai Ţopescu was born in Ţicleni in 1956. He studied at the Institutul de Arte Plastice ‘Ion Andreescu’ in Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvár (Romania). Glassmaking being his craft of choice, he went gone on to create an artistic vernacular that is immediately recognisable and respectful of the material.
Indeed, for over 30 years, glass has been at the centre of Ţopescu’s work because of its qualities, colour, volume and transparency, to which he then adds other materials such as wood and metal to create more complex sculptures that further structure the space.
A product of the 1980s, Ţopescu succeeds in fully expressing the seductive capacity of glass with all its potential for optical fascination and the suggestion of mystery, without worrying about its fragility. Tireless in his technical inventiveness and use of shapes, he has made this art of fire a kind of ‘expended field’ in which the sculptural elements interact freely with his painting and graphics.
Some essentialism and vitalism shine through in Ţopescu’s work, movements that were popularised in the early 20th century by fellow Romanian master Constantin Brâncuși. Ţopescu, in his sculptural approach to the medium of glass, pursues a purity that directly echoes that of his compatriot. Ţopescu introduces chromatic elements of traditional textile art from their shared native region of Oltenia into his glasswork.
Ţopescu’s recent exhibitions include: Manifest,, EUROPALIA art festival, Château de Beloeil, Beloeil, Belgium (2019); Manifest, Brâncovenești/Marosvécs palaces cultural centre, Mogoșoaia, Romania (2018); Manifest, Instituto Cultural Romeno gallery, Lisbon, Portugal (2018); Sacrificiu si Speranta, Galeria Senso, Bucharest, Romania (2017); Sacrificiu si Speranta, FIVE PLUS Art Gallery, Vienna, Austria (2017); Sacrificiu si Speranta, Galeria Pygmalion, Timișoara/Temesvár, Romania (2016); L’Art en Liberté, Villa Aurélienne, Fréjus, France (2015); SacriFACE, La Piccola Galleria dell’Istituto Romeno di Cultura e Ricerca Umanistica di Venezia, Venice, Italy (2015); Centre Culturel Christiane Peugeot, Paris, France (2014); Skulptur, Galerie Hexagone, Aachen, Germany (2013); SacrifICE, La Piccola Galleria dell’Istituto Romeno di Cultura e Ricerca Umanistica di Venezia, Venice, Italy (2013); Sculpture, Musée Demeure Sellier, Cogolin, France (2013); Sacrificiu, Brâncovenești/Marosvécs palaces cultural centre, Mogoşoaia, Romania (2013); Shakespearean Characters in Glass, Craiova, Romania (2012); Notes from the earth, Palace of Parliament, Romania (2012); Sculpture Galerie Mary-Ann, Mâcon, France (2012).
Ţopescu lives and works in Târgu Jiu, not far from Brâncuși’s Inifinity Column.
