The exhibition “ România – The Identity Representation of the Traditional Folk Costume in Art”, created by the National Museum of Art of Romania under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, in collaboration with 25 cultural institutions and museums from across the country (including the National Library of Romania) and 5 from abroad, as well as numerous artists and collectors, opened  its doors to the general public on 21 November  2025.

Through 320 exhibited works, “ România” presents a vivid panorama of the artistic journeys of the ia (traditional folk blouse), rendered in various techniques ranging from painting and sculpture to graphic art, photography, objects, installations, film, music, posters, fashion, stamps, playing cards, vases, banknotes, books, albums, and animated films. Due to its scope and the diversity of artistic perspectives it brings together, the exhibition represents an unprecedented platform for exploring the representations of the Romanian traditional folk costume in artistic creations.

At the heart of the exhibition stands Henri Matisse’s famous painting “La Blouse Roumaine” (1940), a jewel of the Centre Pompidou’s permanent collection. This iconic masterpiece – through which Matisse helped the Romanian traditional folk blouse transcend its traditional roots and blossom into a symbol of universal modernity – leaves France for the first time in 85 years to come to Romania, the very place where the painter found its muse.

Testifying to inspiration behind the painting “La Blouse Roumaine”, the exhibition features an original letter from Henri Matisse addressed to Theodor Pallady, dated 7 December 1940, accompanied by three sketches, all from the collection of National Library of Romania. Part of a long-standing correspondence, these documents offer a glimpse into the intimate exchange of ideas and inspiration between the two great artists.