Brâncuși, The Endless Column

The Endless Column symbolizes the concept of infinity and the infinite sacrifice of the Romanian soldiers. It is considered by Sydnei Geist the top point of the modern art. The Endless Column stacks 17 rhomboidal modules, with a half-unit at the top. The incomplete top unit is thought to be the element that expresses the concept of the infinite. Brâncuși had experimented with this form as early as 1918, with an oak version now found in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The modules were made in the central workshop of Petroşani (Atelierele Centrale Petroşani), assembled by Brâncuși's friend engineer Ştefan Georgescu-Gorjan (1905–1985), and completed on 27 October 1938. All 17 rhomboidal modules accumulate a total height of 29.3 m.

In the 1950s, the Romanian communist government planned to demolish the column, but this plan was never executed. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and the fall of the Communist regime, there was renewed interest in restoring the column, which by that time suffered from tilting, cracking, metal corrosion, and an unstable foundation. For these reasons the site was listed in the 1996 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund. The restoration was facilitated by the Fund, which organized meetings for the stakeholders in 1998 and provided funding through American Express. Subsequently, the site was restored between 1998 and 2000 through a collaborative effort of the Romanian Government, the World Monuments Fund, the World Bank, and other Romanian and international groups.

Source: en.wikipedia.com