Few Bucharest residents know today that on the current Gheorghe Magheru Boulevard once stood one of the city’s most beautiful buildings, a true architectural and cultural gem: the Simu Museum. The building was erected in 1910 at the initiative of the collector and philanthropist Anastase Simu, who dedicated his life to art and education. It was a sanctuary for Romanian and international culture, a unique space where entire generations discovered valuable works by great Romanian and European artists. Unfortunately, in 1960, the communist regime decided to demolish the museum, justifying this act through its urban modernization and systematization plans. It was a brutal decision that erased with a single gesture a landmark of Bucharest and an entire chapter of Romania’s cultural history.

Anastase Simu, a Philanthropist Devoted to Art

Anastase Simu (1854–1935) came from a wealthy family of merchants from Brăila. From an early age, he had the opportunity to study in major European cultural centers, attending courses in Vienna, Paris, and Brussels. This exposure to great European culture cultivated his artistic taste and made him understand the fundamental role of art in shaping a nation’s identity.

After a brief diplomatic career and involvement in Romanian political life, Simu devoted all his energy to art collection. His passion was more than a hobby: he believed that the aesthetic education of the Romanian people was essential for the country’s progress.

In the magazine „Boabe de grâu”, the writer Emanoil Bucuța remarked about Simu: “The founder carried with him everywhere a steadfast thought. This thought was a thought of art.”

In 1910, Simu made an extraordinary gesture: he donated his impressive collection to the Romanian state and erected, at his own expense, a museum designed to exhibit these works. The building was designed by the Greek architect Anastasios Metaxas and was specifically conceived to offer visitors a complete aesthetic experience.

A Museum Dedicated to Romanian and International Art

The Simu Museum opened in the presence of King Ferdinand, Queen Marie, and the then Minister of Education, Spiru Haret, a moment that underscored its cultural importance. From the outset, the museum was conceived as a place where the general public could encounter the beauty of art, not just a private collection for the elite.

The collection included both Romanian and European art. Among the standout pieces were works by Nicolae Grigorescu, Ion Andreescu, Ștefan Luchian, and Gheorghe Petrașcu, artists who laid the foundations of modern Romanian painting. Visitors could witness the evolution of national art, from academic influences to Impressionist and Post-Impressionist expression.

In addition, the museum housed paintings and sculptures by Italian, French, German, and Dutch masters. Engravings, statuettes, and decorative art objects complemented the collection, demonstrating Simu’s interest in all forms of visual expression.

In 1927, Anastase Simu made another generous gesture: he donated not only the collection and building but also the museum grounds to the state.

In total, over 1,100 works of art became public property under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Arts. Nevertheless, Simu continued to cover all maintenance expenses personally, demonstrating his devotion.

The Museum’s Demolition: An Act of Cultural Vandalism

The 1950s and 1960s brought radical changes to Bucharest. The communist leadership, led by Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, launched a massive campaign of urban systematization and modernization. In this context, numerous historic buildings were deemed “useless” or “outdated” and fell victim to bulldozers.

The Simu Museum, located on Magheru Boulevard in the heart of the city, was labeled an obstacle to urban planning. In 1960, without public consultation and without any cultural justification, authorities decided to demolish the building.

This decision shocked the artistic community and Bucharest residents alike. The building, inspired by neoclassical architecture and constructed specifically to house works of art, was not only beautiful but also unique in the cityscape. Its destruction was perceived as an act of cultural vandalism.

Some of the museum’s works were transferred to the National Museum of Art of Romania, but the collection lost its coherence, and the unique atmosphere of the original museum was gone forever. The museum’s carefully designed halls, with lighting intended to highlight the paintings and sculptures, could never be recreated.

An Irreparable Loss for Bucharest

The demolition of the Simu Museum represented more than the disappearance of a building: it was an attack on the city’s cultural memory. Bucharest lost one of the most elegant museums in Eastern Europe, and the public was deprived of a place dedicated to discovering and contemplating art.

This tragedy illustrated how the communist regime sacrificed cultural heritage to build boulevards, blocks, and soulless institutions. Although the official justification was modernization, in reality, it reflected a lack of respect for history and art.

Fortunately, Simu’s collection was not entirely lost. His works became part of the National Museum of Art of Romania’s holdings, where they can still be admired today. However, the original spatial context, architectural design, and founder’s intention were irretrievably lost.

Anastase Simu’s Legacy and the Museum’s Memory

Although the museum building was destroyed, Anastase Simu’s legacy lives on through the preserved works and the memory of his philanthropic gesture.

Simu showed that a devoted individual could change the face of national culture. Through his donations and museum foundation, he offered Romanians the chance to engage with art of the highest quality.

In recent decades, various cultural initiatives have sought to bring the story of the Simu Museum back to public attention. Temporary exhibitions, articles, conferences, and publications evoke the museum’s history and its founder. Yet in the collective consciousness, the museum remains a faint, almost forgotten memory.

Today’s Bucharest, a city where historic buildings are increasingly threatened by demolition, should learn from this loss. The story of the Simu Museum is a warning: destroying heritage can never be justified by modernization. A capital’s identity is built as much on respect for the past as on new constructions.

The monument people forgot about

The Simu Museum was more than a building or a collection: it was the expression of a man’s generosity and his understanding of art’s importance for a nation’s soul. Anastase Simu left Romania a cultural treasure, but the communists destroyed the framework in which this treasure could be appreciated and understood.

Today, more than six decades after its demolition, Bucharest still feels the absence of the Simu Museum. Its loss is a painful chapter in the city’s history and a lesson for current and future generations: culture and heritage must be protected, because once destroyed, they can never be recovered.

In an era where cultural values are increasingly cherished, the memory of the Simu Museum should serve as a reference and a reminder. Bucharest residents may have forgotten this museum, but its story deserves to be retold, again and again, so that such cultural tragedies are never repeated.

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