For many, art represents a refuge, a safe place that — although foreign — offers shelter to the soul in the most unusual ways. The subject of artistic creation remains a topic of interest formultiple fields of research and is an indispensable dimension of life. Beyond these profound aspects, with implications so personal, art must also be understood in its market sense, acontext where these two extremes often conflict. Even so, the history of the art market in Romania is far from boring—in fact, it's full of surprises.
One of the most important and recognized art collectors in Romania is Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania and one of the greatest art collectors in the entire Habsburg Empire. A great lover of art and travel, Samuel von Brukenthal left behind his collection, which today is the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu. It was also the scene of one of the most infamous art heists of Communist Romania, where eight paintings were stolen, including: Anton van Dyck's "The Death of Cleopatra," Frans van Mieris the Elder's "Man with Pipe at the Window," Jorg Breu's "Portrait of a Man," and the most valuable piece, Master of the Legend of Saint Augustine's "Man with a Skull," valued at over $25 million.

