The Transfagarasan Highway, Romania America, 21st century

The Transfagarasan Highway, Romania

2007

David Leventi

(American, b. 1978)

Image: 103 x 132 cm (40 9/16 x 51 15/16 in.); Mounted: 260.9 x 502.3 x 0.4 cm (102 11/16 x 197 3/4 x 3/16 in.); Paper: 260.9 x 502.3 cm (102 11/16 x 197 3/4 in.)

Judith and James Saks in memory of Lynn and Dr. Joseph Tomarkin Endowment 2010.267

Impression: 1

Location: not on view

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Description

Since 2006 Leventi has photographed many parts of Romania in order to retrace and understand his family’s history in that country. In this large, vivid vista of the Transfagarasan Highway, he dramatically recorded how the highway twists, turns, and sharply descends through the scenic mountain valley, framed by the two highest peaks in the country. Numerous hiking trails are visible in the foreground, attesting to the popularity of this area as a leisure destination. The road was constructed between 1970 and 1974 by the Romanian government to ensure quick military access across the mountains in the event of a Soviet Union invasion, similar to the one mounted against Czechoslovakia in 1968. Many regard the highway as "the best road in the world," and it was featured in a 2009 episode of the popular BBC television show Top Gear.