Constantin Lucaci (July 7, 1923 – July 20, 2014) was a Romanian contemporary sculptor, best known for his monumentalist sculptures and his kinetic fountains (or decorative moving metal fountains) most made from stainless steel , among which those from the Romanian cities of Reșița and Constanța are best known. He was born in Bocșa Română, today a part of Bocșa, Caraș-Severin County.
From 1993 up until his death Lucaci was a professor at The Sculpture Department of The Academy of Belle Arts, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. His works, both "regular" and monumental are to be found in various Romanian museums as well as abroad.
Outside of Romania, Lucaci's kinetic sculpture Star is a part of the permanent exhibition "Fucina degli Angeli", Venice, Italy, exposed among works of artists such Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso and Mark Tobey. Other works by Lucaci are to be found in personal collections from cities such as Antwerp, Copenhagen, Ferrara, Milan, Rome and Venice.
Lucaci was bestowed with numerous national and international prizes and awards. He is a recipient of the Romanian Academy prize for his entire career (1990), of Herder Prize for his entire work (1984) and of Gold Medal at the International Biennale of Art dedicated to Dante - Ravenna (1999) for his monumental art.
Lucaci died aged 91 on July 20, 2014.
1953 - "Medal of Toil" - Romania
1968 - "Cultural Merit" Order - Romania
1974 - The Romanian Union of Plastic Artists' Prize for Monumental Art
1982 - "Knight of the Italian Republic" Order of Merit
1984 - Prize of the Romanian weekly magazine "Flacăra" for his Romanian series of kinetic fountains displayed in various Romanian cities
1984 - "Herder" Prize of the University of Vienna for his entire work
1990 - Prize of the Romanian Academy for his entire work
1999 - Gold Medal at the International Biennale of Art dedicated to Dante - Ravenna
2000 - "Freeman" of the city of Reșița
2001 - Prize of "The Romanian Cultural Foundation"
1923 - born in Bocsa Romana, Banat, Romania
1929 - 1945 - During his childhood and youth the artist developed three major interests : the study of the surrounding world through Mathematics and Physics lessons, as well as music and modelling. Hew studied drawing and modelling with T. Botlich, an artist educated in the artistic milieu of Paris at the turn of the century and a former colleague of Meštrović for two decades.
1945 - Attended the courses of the "Guguianu" Free Academy of Arts in Bucharest under Camil Ressu, Al. Ciucurencu and C. Medrea.