Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest is close to the Public Television headquarters and also near Dorobanti Square. It is right on Zambaccian Street. Here you can come by bus, 282, 335, 330, 331 and also 305 lines. These buses come from different areas of the capital, especially from Romana Square.
At the end of the page, you will have a map. We visited Zambaccian Museum in a January, on the first Wednesday of the month when you don’t have to pay anything for visiting.
We only spent 7 RON( less than 2 Euros) on a brochure about the exhibition. You are welcome by three beautiful statues when you come made by Oscar Han.
Tickets prices in 2026-2027: ADULTS: 16 RON = 3 EUROS.
Krikor H. Zambaccian was a businessman of Armenian origin who put together one of the most interesting and valuable art collections in Romania which can be seen at Zambaccian Museum. He was born in 1889 at Constanta, a city on the Black Sea shore. He studied commerce at Antwerp but also learned a lot about arts. Soon, he became a real authority in finding new talents whom he would help to create their masterpieces, including financial support, to the last days of his life, in 1962. He knew personally the most important artists of the 19th century, especially Romanian and French and bought their works. Thus, Krikor H. Zambaccian created an impressive exhibition he would donate to the Romanian state in 1947. Actually, it was his first donation. His collection can now be seen at Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest.
As Zambaccian himself wrote in his small book Notes of an amateur art collector, he discovered art in his childhood and later in Greece when he was impressed by the Parthenon. The museum was built by the architect C.D. Galin by the plans written down by Zambaccian who was interested not only to have a house, but that bulding to have space enough to house an exhibition. It was ready in 1943 but the same architect had to plan an extension which was completed more than ten years later, in 1957.
Zambaccian made his first donation to the Romanian state in 1947. He would wrote in his book: if I do not donate my collection to the people, I would feel like betraying also the Romanian people and the artists this people gave to the world. 310 paintings, sculptures and prints had been part of this first donation, together with the building. Another one was made in 1957 and the final one after Zambaccian’s death in 1962, made by his brother. Actually his brother, not so happy that Krikor invested so much in art, was close to leave him on his own in their affairs. Their mother, Anita, had the last word. And his brother, Ovanez Zambaccian, would make the final donation.
Krikor H Zambaccian was born in 1889 and died in 1962 and he dedicated his life to finding and gathering the finest art collections in Romania
As soon as you enter Zambaccian Museum, you will see one of the great artist Constantin Brancusi works. For Zambaccian was not interested only in paintings, but also in sculpture.
Brancusi’s Head of a boy has its own wall. It is made of bronze at the beginning of the 20th century.
Krikor Zambaccian made his first donation to the Romanian state which means more than 150 paintings and sculptures in 1947. This is Brancusi.
Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest was closed after the heavy earthquake in 1977 and the collection was moved to the recently opened Museum of Art Collections. Here were exhibited collections taken by the communists from the so-called enemies of the people and also private collections. The works Zambaccian bought in time and donated to the state were sent back to Zambaccian Museum in 1996. Nicolae Grigorescu’s paintings are part of this awesome collection. In 1906, Grigorescu was the master and used to sell all his works in only one day. Later, in 1932, Zambaccian bought a painting signed by Grigorescu for 100,000 lei( the currency of the moment), enough money for the owner to spend three winter seasons at Cote d’Ivoire.
Also Peasant Girl Spinning by Grigorescu is exhibited at Zambaccian Museum and is one of the most valuable painting to see here
One of the most beautiful Nicolae Grigorescu paintings called Portrait of a woman can be seen at Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest
Cezanne, Delacroix, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, Tonitza, Andreescu, Luchian are all artists whose works can be seen at Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest. Please, enjoy!
Portrait of a girl by Cezanne was rather difficult to be brought in Romania at the time for there were no rules at the frontier so it costed almost nothing Zambaccian since the custom house officer did not understand why such an ugly painting could cost so much
Eugene Delacroix Odalisque is a small painting and can be seen at Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest at the first floor of the exhibition
Stefan Luchian was born in 1868 and died in 1916 and this is one of his paintings
with Chrysanthemums famous all over the world and which can be seen at Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest
One of the masterpieces signed by Matisse is among the great works of art you can see at Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest
The Bullfight by Picasso is also in the collection of Zambaccian Museum Bucharest
Auguste Renoir was born in 1841 and died in 1914 and one of his great pieces Two Women Bathing is here.
At Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest you can see the Romanian painters on the first floor while the foreign painters are on the first floor. Sisley is there.
You can see Portrait of a child by Tonitza and you should know that Tonitza is the painter whose paintings were sold for 1,4 m Euros in 2012 and 600,000 Euros in 2014
Winter at Barbizon oil on canvas by Ioan Andreescu defined part of the impressionist painting in Romania.
There is also a small garden inside where there are sculptures. One of the most interesting is Michelangelo. See also the ART MUSEUM IN BUCHAREST.
A small garden is near Zambaccian Museum in Bucharest with few but valuable sculptures
Do not miss the garden for there are very interesting sculptures there like this one called Michelangelo by Cornel Medrea. The official website of the museum is HERE.
After leaving the museum, we kept in mind a story told by Zambaccian himself in his Notes of an amateur art collector. “On this land, there were shining stars like Luchian. If I have a glory in what I did is that I gave him an altar”, he wrote…
This is the portrait of K H Zambaccian painted by Corneliu Baba
…and we left behind one of the most interesting museums in Bucharest, Zambaccian Museum, with a Kiss. The great sculptor Oscar Han signed this masterpiece. It is a work also K. H. Zambaccian bought and donated to the Romanian people.