AVE MARIA
Watercolor Exhibition by Visual Artist

ION MORARU

September 12 – October 6, 2025
Foyer of the Maria Bieșu National Theatre of Opera and Ballet

Painter / Graphic Artist / Book Illustrator / Republic of Moldova

Born on April 22, 1950, in Dîngeni, Ocnița.
In 1977 he completed his studies at the “Alexandru Plămădeală” College of Fine Arts in Chișinău, and in 1985 he graduated with distinction from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Moscow Printing Institute, Russia.
Since 1977 and to the present day, he has participated in numerous representative exhibitions in the country and abroad.
He is a full member of the Union of Plastic Artists of the Republic of Moldova, a member of AIAP UNESCO (Paris), a Master of Art (2000), and a member of the American Watercolor Society, New York, USA (2007). For outstanding merits in art and the promotion of national culture, in 2025 he was awarded the “Mihail Grecu” Medal.
He holds the Silver Medal for innovation in watercolor technique and the Honorary Diploma granted by the Academy of Arts in Brussels, Belgium.
In 2001 Ion Moraru and his family received permanent resident status in the USA in the “Person of Extraordinary Ability” category and settled in New York.
In the USA he organized numerous solo exhibitions in New York, Miami and Washington DC. Among the most notable are the exhibitions at the World Bank in Washington DC, Manhattan Arts International in New York, Salmagundi Fine Arts Club and others. He also organized the following selective solo exhibitions:

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

• 1994 National Art Museum of Moldova, Chișinău
• 1996 Parliament of Romania, Bucharest
• 1997 Eureca-97, Brussels, Belgium
• 1998 United Nations Palace, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2002 Cornell International, New York, USA
• 2005 Fine Art Gallery, Miami, USA
• 2008 Manhattan Gallery, New York, USA
• 2011 World Bank, Washington DC, USA
• 2015 Embassy Suites Hotel Gallery, New York, USA
• 2017 Mic & Associates Art Gallery, New York, USA
• 2018 “Constantin Brâncuși” Exhibition Center, Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
• 2019 National Library of the Republic of Moldova
• 2022 Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
• 2023 Embassy of the United States in the Republic of Moldova

Ion Moraru’s works are held in state, museum and private collections in the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, USA, Belgium, China, France, Germany and Israel.
He has illustrated over 50 books for children and adults. His original illustrations are preserved in museums in the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

Critics emphasize the expressive power of his watercolors, their chromatic refinement and the originality of his compositions, which consolidate his status as a benchmark in national and international visual art.

“Ion Moraru paints as he is: generous, radiant, lyrical, confident in human values. On one hand, he shows the ability to renew his vision and style, on the other, he maintains a level of consistency and continuity in expression and interpretation. Ion Moraru’s watercolors carry within them, in their deep fiber, mysterious and irreversible calls. His expression is so authentically Romanian that his creations can, without any difficulty, be included in the Romanian heritage of feeling and fulfillment.”
— Valentina Ciucă, Art Critic, Iași

Contact Information:
Landline: (022) 32 19 32
Mobile: + (373) 68 015 570
E-mail: moraru_ionel@mail.ru