Romanian Constantin Brâncusi (1876 – 1957) is among the most influential modern art sculptors and photographers of the 20th century. He was considered a pioneer of modernism and the patriarch of modern sculpture. Brâncuși broke with the tradition of the naturalistic shaping of objects, instead employing techniques of reduction that forever altered the sculptural landscape.
The Craiova art museum in Romania includes a gallery dedicated to Brâncuși and six of his early works. One of his most famous works is a nine-centimeter sculpture named "Maiastra" from 1911, depicting a golden bird. This work was architect Dorin Stefan's inspiration for a glass structure in front of the art museum at the magnificent Constantin Mihail Palace. Dorin Stefan stated that his goal was "[...] not to represent a bird in itself, but rather self-control, spirit, flight, impulse. Present what is uncertain in a concrete form."
sedak supplied the sophisticated crafted panes for this impressive glass structure. The glass shell of the structure consists of twelve side panels of up to 12.5m in length and a roof consisting of three panels extending up to 9m in length. The side panes of the glass cube are carried by eight glass fins using filigree, laminated connectors.
Inside the 9m x 12.5m glass cube, eight additional glass fins form a significantly oversized silhouette of the bird. The empty space within the glass is roughly 95 times as large as its model, the Maiastra sculpture.
At the heart of the structure is an elevator that is accessible from a subterranean entrance. The special shape of the glass panels that form the outline of the bird sculpture was exceptionally difficult to achieve — and not just during the processing of the glass. Particular attention had to be paid to the correct behavior of the shaped panes when in the furnace and to the accuracy of fit at the edges, especially during the prestressing and lamination processes.
