The Restoration of Brancusi's 'Endless Column'

Constantin Brancusi’s monumental Endless Column, located near his birthplace of Hobita, Romania, is a 98-foot column of cast-iron modules (clad with zinc, brass, and clear protective organic coating) threaded into a steel spine. It is part of an ensemble (along with the travertine Gate of the Kiss and the Table of Silence) built as a memorial to those who died defending the town of Targu-Jiu during World War I.

Although beloved by the Romanian People as a Great Cultural Symbol, the column had suffered from years of exposure to the elements and the modules were deteriorating. In 1996, World Monuments Fund placed the Endless Column on its World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.