No. 5, 2000 – 2002, drawing on paper, 21 x 28 cm

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BIOGRAPHY

Roman Cotosman (1935 – 2006) embarked on his artistic journey in the 1960s in Timisoara. In 1962, he transitioned from working figuratively to briefly exploring Informel, before fully dedicating himself to constructivist art.

In 1968, he achieved his first kinetic work, “Quaternar I,” at Fabrica Dermatina in Timisoara. The artwork was created for the Biennial Exhibition of Constructivist Art in Nürnberg, Germany, which took place the following year.

Cotosman was a founding member of the kinetic-constructivist group 1.1.1. (1966-1969), which he established with Ștefan Bertalan and Constantin Flondor in Timișoara.

In 1968, Roman Cotosman participated in the first abstract-constructivist exhibition in Romania titled “5 Artists from Timisoara” at the Kalinderu Gallery in Bucharest, alongside Stefan Bertalan, Constantin Flondor, Zoltan Molnar, and Diet Sayler.

In 1969, Cotosman represented his country in the Biennial Exhibition of Constructivist Art in Nürnberg, Germany.

In 1970, he relocated to the United States, initially settling in New York City. By 1972, he had moved to Philadelphia, where he spent the rest of his life. In the United States, Roman Cotosman continued to work diligently and relentlessly, creating an extensive array of minimalistic drawings, collages, and objects. After 1989, the Roman Cotosman was again exhibited in Romania. His participation in the Venice Biennale at the Romanian Pavilion began in 1995.

He died in Philadelphia in 2006.

WORKS IN ART COLLECTIONS
The Romanian Museum of Art, Bucharest, Romania
The Contemporary Museum of Art, Timisoara, Romania
MaRE, Museum of Recent Art, Bucharest, Romania
Museum fur Konkrete Kunst, Ingolstadt, Germany
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, US
Dean Witter Inc., Philadelphia, PA

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Diet Sayler – Roman Cotosman | An Artist Friendship, | Texts by Livius Ciocarlie, Diet Sayler, Mihai Oroveanu, Simona Vilau | Fundatia Joana Grevers, Bucharest, 2015
Roman Cotoșman. Încrâncenarea vieții | Livius Ciocârlie and Ion Manta|  Editura Brumar, Timisoara, 2008
Roman Cotosman. | Texts by Livius Ciocarlie, Roman Cotosman, Octavian Barbosa, Liliana Pintilie, Coriolan Babeti and others |  Triade Foundation, Interart, Timisoara, 2004
Experiment în arta romanească după 1960 | Puncte cardinale ale mișcării artistice timișorene. 1960-1996 | Text by Ileana Pintilie | The Soros Center for Contemporary Art, 1997, Bucharest.
“Roman Cotosman”. | texts by Ileana Pintilie, Andrei Pintilie and Roman Cotosman. | The Museum of Art, Timisoara, 1995
“Creation and European Synchronism”.  The artistic movement in Timisoara 1960 – 1970 | Ileana Pintilie, The Museum of Art, Timisoara, 1991.
Contemporary Drawings. Philadelphia II. Catalogue The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1979

TEXTS BY ROMAN COTOSMAN
A Statement | Arta, 2 februarie 1992
Reflections on Rhythmic Void | Text from the catalogue Creation and European Synchronism.  The artistic movement in Timisoara 1960 – 1970 | Ileana Pintilie, The Museum of Art, Timisoara, 1991
Kinetic Art – A Future Instrumental Language |  Text in the catalogue Roman Cotosman and Rudolf Valenta, Nuremberg, Galeria Johanna Richard, 1981.

SELECTED ARTICLES
Roman Cotosman – Diet Sayler, O prietenie | Revista Arta, Simona Vilau, August 2015
Despre arta prietenie, destin | Orizont, Marcel Tolcea, May 2015
Un ascet în pustiul civilizaţiei | „Orizont”, nr. 3, Coriolan Babeți, 2004
Două proiecte de arta monumentala. Masă rotundă cu: Livius Ciocârlie, Radu Radoslav, Ciprian Radovan, Ileana Pintilie, Şerban Sturdza | „Orizont”, nr.6, 1999
Utopia | Revista Arta, Călin Dan, februarie 1992
A Retrospective Look | Revista Arta, Ileana Pintilie, februarie 1992
Close look at contemporary drawing | The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1979
Constructivismul între raţional şi irațional. Note de la Bienala de la Nürnberg | „Secolul 20”, nr. 5, Octavian Barbosa, 1969
5 tineri artişti din Timişoara | „Contemporanul”, nr. 2, Eugen Schileru, 1968