Romania: One Year of Fame | European Journal

From unknown homeless person to celebrated star of the art scene - and back on the street. The Romanian Ion Barladeanu went on a rollercoaster ride from success to failure.Ion Barladeanu lived for many years in the cellar of a Bucharest apartment building. During the Ceausescu era, he began making collages from old magazines. It was risky work, because many of his collages are biting criticism of the regime. Two years ago, galleries and art critics finally noticed Barladeanu and his unique mixture of Pop Art, Dada, and Surrealism. His work was exhibited in Paris, London, and Basel. But then his new friends dropped him again.