Sorin Dumitrescu was born in Bucharest in 1946. He quickly achieved fame after graduating from the Institutul de Arte Plastice ‘Nicolae Grigorescu’ in Bucharest in 1970 (where he studied under Corneliu Baba), holding his first major solo exhibition merely a couple of years later. Down the line, several years later, he would become a teacher at the Universitatea Națională de Arte București.
The pieces from this early period are marked by the influence of expressionism. From that point onwards, his art progressively transitioned towards abstract symbolism, primarily via an exploration of hyper-signs. This avenue of research led the artist to consider spirituality and physical spiritual places as aesthetically potent, embracing the universal power of architecture as a visual stimulus and a means of spatial representation. Churches and other places of prayer find themselves graphically summarised and/or deconstructed through Dumitrescu’s spare lines and strokes. Fascinated by the Roman and Byzantine culture that shaped his own, Dumitrescu refers to these periods of history both thematically and aesthetically.
In 1981, he founded the 9 + 1 collective with notable contemporaries of his: Horia Bernea, Florin Ciubotaru, Marin Gherasim, Horea Mihai, Vasile Gorduz, Napoleon Tiron, Bata Marianov and Doru Covrig. Other ambitious projects followed, including the establishment of Editura Anastasia (Anastasia Publishing House) and Fundaţia Anastasia (Anastasia Foundation) and of the Catacomba Gallery in Bucharest (Dumitrescu acted as curator). Between 1992 and 2001, the gallery housed exhibitions, debates and events that furthered the reflections present in Dumitrescu’s art.
The artist’s home city has shown him much support throughout his career, with personal exhibitions in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 2007 and 2009. He has also exhibited in France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan and San Marino.
Through his publishing house and the contacts he made through it, Dumitrescu has published numerous books. He has also been a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy since 2006.
