The Art Museum “Dinu and Sevasta Vintilă” is organized in the commune Topalu, on the basis of the collection donated to the native commune by the Doctor Gheorghe Vintilă, son of Dinu and Sevasta Vintilă.
The museum is organized in the 13 rooms of the former accommodation of the donor’s parents, teachers in Topalu. The art museum is unique in the rural environment from Romania, with 228 paintings, sculptures and graphics belonging to some famous artists, among them: Ioan Andreescu, Octav Băncilă, Nicolae Grigorescu, Ștefan Luchian, Gheorghe Petrașcu, Nicolae Tonitza, Alexandru Ciucurencu, Dimitrie Paciurea, Cornel Medrea, Theodor Aman, Corneliu Baba, Nicolae Dărăscu.
Among the exhibits from Topalu, there are listed the famous Child head and Woman head, belonging to the master Tonitza. Togethere with Nicolae Grigorescu’s creations, Ștefan Luchian’s creations and of other great Romanian painters, the Vintilă collection possesses paintings of a priceless value.
Among the exhibits there can also be admired one of the latest painting of the master Grigorescu from the series The Ox Cart. The specialists consider the Ox Cart one of the best sold Romanian paintings of all times.
The painting exposed at Topalu is realized by the great artist to the end of his life, and the slightly soft lines and the color composition have determined the critics to advance the idea of a sight disease, with which Nicolae Grigorescu has struggled until the end.
Dinu and Sevasta Vintilă have founded the first school from Topalu. The son of the two teachers, Gheorghe Vintilă, didn’t embrace his parents’ profession and wanted to become a doctor. After a few dozen of years of career, he managed to compile an impressive collection of paintings and of art objects. He bought most of them, and the other part was received as gifts by their authors, good friends with the doctor.
In the courtyard of the museum – house, there is situated the grave of the doctor Gheorghe Vintilă, therefore, being respected his final wish, mentioned in the donation document of the valuable art collection. In the museum’s archive, there is also a set of personal notes through which he registered the history of entering into possession each art piece from his famous art gallery.
The museum was reopened on the 25th of September 2007 after is has been rehabilitated. The rehabilitation operation consisted of the rework of the ceiling, of the roof, as well as replacing the pavement, the joinery and the equipment with the micro-ventilation installation, necessary for keeping in optimal conditions the exposed paintings.
