The stage is set for Romanian cultural creators to create a sustainable contemporary art fair. The prior decade had seen an exponential growth in both number of galleries, but also their participation in the international art world, with significant presences in top museums, international biennials and contemporary art fairs. At the instigation of Catinca Tăbăcaru and the co-direction of Daniela Pălimariu, the country’s top contemporary art galleries unite forces to create RAD – Romanian Art Dealers – a contemporary art fair which brings together a new generation of gallerists, collectors, curators, partners and patrons dedicated to advancing the national contemporary art scene and supporting its growing prominence on the international stage.

The first edition of RAD Art Fair is co-organized by the teams of Cazul101, Galeria Posibilă, Jecza, Mobius, Plan B, /SAC, Sandwich, Sector 1, Suprainfinit, and Catinca Tabacaru. It is made possible by the patronage of CARO Bucharest as venue partner, Bog’art as brick and mortar partner; and funding from the Ministry of Culture then led by Mr. Lucian Romașcanu.  

The fair welcomes 20 invited galleries from Bucharest (Atelier 35, Cazul 101, Diptych, Gaep, Leilei, Mobius, Galeria Posibilă, /Sac, Sandwich, Sector 1, Suprainfinit, Catinca Tabacaru); Cluj (Biju, Plan B, Matca Artspace, Pogo, Sabot, Viewing Room 17); Timișoara (Jecza); and Chișinau (Lutnița).

In response to the 5000 sqm lakeside gardens of CARO Bucharest, the galleries mount the first iteration of the Sculpture Park, which opens well in advance of the fair and remains open and free to visit for an entire month. Robert Băjenaru of Cazul101 acts as the park’s first curator. The teams of Mobius and Galeria Posibila, led by Roxana Gamart and Matei Câlția organize the first RAD Editions, a section of the fair which offers accessible artworks produced in multiples. The team of Galeria Posibila take this project forward into its second and third editions. RAD throws its legendary VIP Dinner that solidifies its reputation as the epicenter of the Romanian art world.

Robert Băjenaru, Matei Câlția, Andrei Jecza, Mihai Pop, Alex Radu, Daniela Palimariu, Alexandru Niculescu, Andreea Stănculeanu, Suzana Vasilescu and Catinca Tăbăcaru become Co-Founders of the fair.

Banca Transilvania becomes RAD’s main partner and RAD’s co-founders return to realize the fair’s second edition. The fair opens an application process with selected galleries required to exhibit at least one Romanian artist in their booth. The fair grows to 26 galleries, with 11 participating for the first time, including Bucharest-based Ivan and Anca Poterașu, and Gregor Podnar from Vienna. 

The fair introduces RAD Design, a 20+ international artists collectible design exhibition, curated by Adela Maria Marius. In 2025, AÉ02 architectural duo Anda Zota and Elena Viziteu take over the project to focus on Romanian design, offering a survey of today’s early stages in national collectible design. 

After a small pilot program during the fair’s first edition, RAD Curatorial launches its annual Curatorial Summit with 31 invited curators traveling to Bucharest from 17 countries. Several talks are also open to aspiring curators from around the country via an application process. Created and led by Ana Maria Ștefan and Maria Bîrsan, the program focuses on curators with professional profiles geared towards the Region’s wider art scene.  In 2025, in addition to curators invited to RAD, an Open Call is launched and receives 50+ applications.  

The Sculpture Park continues to be a main pillar of the project with Cristina Vasilescu of Suprainfinit joining Robert Băjenaru to curate the extensive exhibition. Garage Sale is introduced by Alexandru Niculescu of Sandwich as a special outdoor exhibition offering the quirky side of Bucharest’s art movement and offering a nod to artists working at Malmaision Studios.

RAD Talks is also a critical element of the fair over the first three years, offering panels of experts each year to explore pressing issues of the Romanian contemporary art world with a focus on its burgeoning collecting community, the ecosystem that makes it all functions, and 10-years of national participations at the Venice Biennial. The series is organized by Catinca Tăbăcaru with contributions by Romania’s most dynamic contemporary art players including Avi Cicirean, Bogdan Doicescu, Tudor Grecu, Liviu Jicman, Ana Maria Mihăescu, Mihnea Mircan, Ciprian Mureșan, Daniela Pălimariu, Dan Perjovschi, Mihai Pop, Alex Radu, Magda Radu, Alex Rus, Ovidiu Șandor, Anca Ungureanu, and Suzana Vasilescu.

Artwork sales reported by participating galleries triple from year one to year two.

The project evolves into a more sustainable structure with a dedicated team led by co-directors Daniela Pălimariu and Catinca Tabacaru. Alex Radu of /SAC takes the reins of RAD Sculpture to produce the Park’s largest edition to date with over 100 sculptures by 60+ artists.

The number of galleries grows by two to 28, with 7 participating for the first time including H’Art from Bucharest and Dawid Radiszevski from Warsaw/Vienna. The fair introduces Platform, a subsidized section for young gallerists who are coupled into mentorship pairs with more experienced dealers. The inaugural Platform galleries are Atelier 35, Cazul 101, and Pharmakon from Bucharest; Glorie from Craiova; Himera from Timisoara; and Lutnita from Chisinau.

The VIP Program extends internationally bringing in collectors from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and Turkey; wooing them with good art, fun parties, and a non-stop dynamic program around Bucharest’s institutions, private collections, galleries, artist studios, and other such attractions. After two editions that included visits to the Grecu and Cicirean private collections, this year Iacob Foundation also opens its doors to visitors. 2025 sees the essential addition of institutional collaborations with private events organized in collaboration with both the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) and the MARe/ Muzeul de Arta Recenta.

The year marks another historic moment - the publishing of the Deloitte Art Report on the Romanian art market. RAD acts as main partner in the research and realization of this.

The aim now is to improve qualitatively, nurturing the RAD Generation, a term coined by Mihai Pop of Plan B when reflecting on the visible development of a new generation of cultural creators who understand and wholeheartedly play critical roles within the contemporary art world.