The Iron Guard at auction: Romania gets it wrong – again

On a recent balmy afternoon, an auction house held its spring auction. I strolled up the red carpet and nearly stumbled over a pothole hidden below the carpet.

All photos by author.

The auction was already under way by the time I reached the second floor, a dozen or so people seated facing the auctioneer, a screen behind her a carousel of all the artworks up for sale.

They were on Lot #15, a marble torso by Romanian sculptor Constantin Baraschi. The auction price ranged from 4,000-6,000 euro. After a flurry of activity – numbered paddles shooting in the air and online bids – the hammer price was 13,000 euro. The next two paintings also sold for greater than the estimated price.

Then, Lot #18. An oil painting by a celebrated Romanian artist, Cecilia Cutescu Storck. The subject of the painting was the object of my interest: Horia Sima, the notorious leader of the Iron Guard, the Romanian equivalent (together with the Legionary army), and ally, of the Nazis. Sima is unequivocally considered a fascist antisemite. Under Sima’s direction, thousands of Romanian Jews were persecuted, rounded up for deportation, slaughtered. Under Sima’s direction, my grandfather was tortured, called a derogatory term for Jew, and thrown into illegal detention for four days. I do not know why he was not deported or murdered like others in his community. But his fate was in the hands of Sima’s henchmen.

Just two weeks ago, upon learning of this auction item, I walked into the auction house and sought out the sales staff. “Why,” I asked, “are you glorifying, and profiting from the sale of a painting of Sima?” I explained what shouldn’t have needed to be explained. They did not answer. They were unmoved. I asked them to remove the painting from the auction. I asked them to remove all their Legionary and Nazi paraphernalia (and they have many) from display and circulation.

A few days later, I saw that the Sima painting was still displayed on their site. I sent an email, reminding them that it is also a violation of the current law that prohibits the display and/or sale of antisemitic content. My email remains unanswered until today.

Lot #18. Chai. The elegant auctioneer invited bids. Silence fell on the room. Not a peep from the audience. Nothing from the phones nor online. She looked around, awkwardly, possibly wondering about the lack of (public) interest.

The hammer came down on Lot #18 less than a minute after it was presented.

Lot #18. Estimated auction price: 4,000-6,000 euro. Post-auction price: 3,000 euro.

I may never find out if an underground fascist or a neo-Legionnaire purchases it. Privately. Quietly. Stealthily. I may never find out if it’s being displayed (proudly?!) in a private home, gallery, business or museum. No matter: My eyes are wide-open and I will continue to speak up when I can.