Eva Foundation houses a transnational collection of 20th and 21st Century art created by women. Situated in the heart of Bucharest within a renovated 1930s townhouse.
MISSION
Eva Foundation is a haven for reflection on the future, present, and past of art created by women – the first publicly accessible collection of international art in Romania. Stemming from founder and curator Ecaterina Vlad’s intellectual engagement with feminist histories, its collection surveys innovative women artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
By pairing 20th-century works with contemporary pieces, the collection connects past and present, contextualizing today’s art-making within a broader narrative of female artistic expression.
Housed in a beautifully renovated 1930s single-family home, the collection sheds traditional institutional expectations. It invites cultural dialogue that extends beyond Bucharest – bridging craft and fine art, the local and the transnational, the historical and the futuristic – anchored in a feminist lens and the Romanian spirit of resilience.
“Eva”, equivalent to Eve, refers to the Biblical first woman, a frequent representation in art history that has been portrayed as a symbol of temptation and subservience. Contemporary artists and scholars, however, have reimagined her as a figure of symbolic autonomy—an emblem of agency, knowledge, and resistance that challenges patriarchal narratives and reclaims feminine subjectivity.
ECATERINA VLAD
Eva Foundation founder and curatorial director Ecaterina Vlad was born and raised in Bucharest, Romania. As a collector of women artists, Vlad is drawn to works that entice a visceral response. Her curatorial approach reflects a deep understanding of the subtly subversive power of art and its ability to inspire and provoke thought.
After studying art history at Yale and commencing her career in the New York art world, Vlad felt the need to contribute to Bucharest’s art scene in a meaningful and innovative way. With Eva Foundation, she declares a transnational interpretation of art history, drawing connections between works of seemingly disparate origins and shining light on the past to illuminate the present, with an eye on the future. Artists in the Eva Foundation collection stem from over a dozen nations, including Romania, Kenya, the United Kingdom, the United States, Peru and Morocco.
Vlad received her undergraduate degree from Yale and her master’s degree from New York University’s Institute of Fine Art, completing her thesis on the Romanian expat painter Hedda Sterne. She is a member of the Metropolitan Museum’s Vanguard Council, the New Museum’s Artemis Council and the Guggenheim’s Young Collectors Acquisition Committee. She is based in New York City.
HISTORY
Once known for the grand architecture, academic painting, and towering public monuments of the Neoclassical era, Bucharest is now home to a vibrant and evolving contemporary art community. Marked by a strong independent spirit and experimental energy, a new generation of emerging artists and galleries coexist with established institutions. Eva Foundation serves as a physical manifestation of this renaissance in Bucharest and beyond - a testament to Romania's belonging within a broader art historical dialogue.
OUR LOCATION
Located in a newly renovated 1930s townhouse in the heart of Bucharest’s Romana neighborhood, Eva Foundation is a space for visitors to engage with art in a novel, intimate context. The scale and layout of the space guiding viewers to move through it as they would a private residence. Due to its proximity to Bucharest’s university district, a key element of Eva Foundation’s mission is to serve as an educational resource. Students are encouraged to visit and engage with art in a new capacity.