Cornel Șurlea is a passionate art collector, with a refi ned eye for both the aesthetic value and the profound message of the works he chooses. His collection features an impressive diversity, ranging from graphic art to painting, each piece bearing the mark of a unique moment of creation. For him, art is not merely a collectible object, but a living presence that brings him joy, refl ection, and a sense of belonging to the world of beauty.

WIN Gallery: And what did this beginning look like? 

Cornel Șurlea: After 2000, when my financial situation began to stabilize, through a lot of work and effort, the first successes and fruits came. That's when I told myself that, before anything else, I had to build a house – not a luxurious car, but a house – where I could gather all the things I loved. For me, these things mean a lot because we are surrounded by beauty, but I believe that art – painting, graphics – is inevitably part of the life of a person who wishes to live in a zone of spiritual comfort. And I remember how, having some money saved up, I would go through galleries and discover that certain things attracted me. 

One day, by chance, I met Momi on the street, a good friend of one of my acquaintances. I told him: "Look, I like two artists. Which one do you think is more important?" I was never interested in an artist's market value. I didn't buy with the thought that in five or ten years the value of the work would increase. For me, only the pleasure, the joy of acquiring something that would give me happiness, that would spiritually nourish me, always mattered. That's why I chose not by name, but by the intrinsic value of the work. Of course, at first, I made many mistakes. Then I started reading enormously, took courses, including a cultural management course, and I was even an auditing student at the Faculty of Arts. I was always present at exhibition openings and, gradually, I realised that I was particularly attracted to graphic art and engraving. While we all start with narrative painting – landscapes, family scenes – I discovered that I prefer pencil, pen, drawings that hide a message and compel you to decipher it. That's what art means to me. 

WIN Gallery: What did you feel at the moment of your first acquisition? How was it? 

Cornel Șurlea: When I came... I bought two paintings. I still have them, in a place of honour. In the initial phase, you are so happy that, even if the painting had a defect, you wouldn't see it. So much joy accumulates that you're like blind, you're drunk... drunk with happiness. Always, when I came home, I made sure to pass in front of these two paintings. I positioned them so that when I sat in an armchair, I could see both of them, highlighting them with a bedside lamp. They were like companions. 

I believe art has a curative role. Whoever does not believe that art heals is mistaken. In cases when I wasn't feeling very well, or maybe I was very tired, the visual contact with these two works comforted me. It was, and is, a great joy, a great happiness. 

The Golden Forest - Laurențiu Midvichi, oil on canvas, 100x120 cm, 2023

WIN Gallery: Among the works you own, is there one you are particularly fond of? 

Cornel Șurlea: Yes! It is "Madonna with Child" by Andrei Damo. He worked on it for more than a year, layer upon layer, in the Flemish style, close to Caravaggio. I put it in the most expensive Italian wooden frame. It emanates a special atmosphere, an extraordinary humanity. It is the work that, if I had to run somewhere with only one under my arm, I would take it without hesitation. 

WIN Gallery: How do you manage to integrate art into your daily life, into the mundane? 

Cornel Șurlea: From time to time, in the attic where I also have a small workshop, I take out some works from folders to air them out. I can no longer afford to buy others. I am a pensioner, I am of a certain age, and I've had some health issues. And, anyway, I think I have enough. 

I don't have very expensive works, I don't have big names – and I know that well – but I believe I own many artistically valuable works. From time to time, I rearrange them: I change a frame, move a work from one place to another, bring it to an easel and display it for a few weeks. I walk past it, I talk to it. 

The same with sculptures: I notice that Gogu Alifie [editor's note: the collector's new cat] also has certain tastes. He sleeps better next to some works, by the window, in the display cases where I have gathered many pieces. He also has preferences, favourites. 

See, art is for everyone. 

WIN Gallery: What experiences or encounters shaped your collecting method? 

Cornel Șurlea: I remember that around '96, I went through a very difficult period. That's life: I suddenly found myself without money, without health, without anything. I used to walk around the city and stop at the Orizont art gallery, where I would look in the window. 

It was a very successful gallery. The lady there organized small presentations, and the exhibited works seemed to give me strength, made me hope that I would recover, that things would get better and that it would be fine. I would stand for hours, "like a fool," looking at the window. At one point, the girls from the gallery drew the attention of the manager, who came to me and invited me in. I told her: "No, no... I just want to see these ones." 

It had become a ritual for me. Every two or three days, I would go there, recharge myself, look at the works and tell myself: "When I recover and have money, I will buy this, this, and this." Among them was a painting – an Epiphany, done in a naive style, by a painter from Tulcea. 

Slowly, I recovered. I started working again, and money began to come in. I would still drive past the gallery and look to see if the works were still there. Until the moment came for me to go and buy them. 

But even on the way, I felt that something was not right. And indeed, when I entered, the painting was no longer there. Neither was the sculpture. Instead, there were a few other works – by Darie Dup and Reka Csapo Dup, as well as by Gheorghe Munteanu from Târgu Mureș – which I bought and still have now. However, I asked about the painting. The lady told me it had been bought by someone from a foreign company. 

"No way," I replied. "That's my painting. Call him and tell him I'll give him double, triple, just to sell it to me!" But it couldn't be done. 

I suffered immensely. It was the first failure of this kind, and since then, I tell everyone: what you like and can buy at that moment, do it. Not just in art, in any field. Because it might be a unique moment, and you will never encounter that chance again. 

It was a painful experience that marked me... but also helped me. 

WIN Gallery: How did you first discover Valentin Tănase's works? 

Cornel Șurlea: Through a mutual friend who had an exhibition at the Military Circle, I think around 2009-2010. There I also saw works by Valentin Tănase, and I liked them a lot! So I remembered him from then. Later, we met when he did the cover of my catalogue The Golden Fish. 

The story is very interesting. He had a work that I had seen, and on one occasion, at his home, over a glass of wine, I told him: "Valentin, this work, look, I'll take it, but make it, as if... in the lower part, draw a golden fish, so I can put it in the exhibition, to match the theme." And he, a man who I believe never refuses, said "fine" and did it, and the work also appeared on the album cover. 

WIN Gallery: What attracts you most to Valentin Tănase's work? 

Cornel Șurlea: The narrative ones with a surrealist touch. 

The Illusion of Reality - Valentin Tănase,
oil on canvas, 130x110 cm, 2021 

WIN Gallery: In what way do his works resonate with your own vision of art? 

Cornel Șurlea: There are a few works, not many, that don't attract me. 

But, looking at what he does and relating it to the technique he chooses, he has works that I would always want in my collection. And I don't see who could continue along this line. I don't think many will follow the same direction. 

This is also due to his great work ethic, because he is very conscientious and extremely organized. It's also his wife's merit! 

Claudia has been a good companion and a reliable support. Everything is very well organized and staged. He is a man of his word whom you can rely on.