On the west end of the Strada Liviu Rebreanu in Bistrita is a bronze statue
of Alexandru Rosu with his camera, taking a photo. Next to his statue is a plaque with information about him:
Alexandru Rosu
Alexandru Rosu (1854-1912) He was the first Romanian photographer of the
city of Bistrita, and Nicolae Iorga considers him as the most valuable
photographer of the Romanians. He opened his own studio in 1881, in the
central square number 3, but in the period of maximum development of his
profession he had a bigger studio in the Central Square, number 22.
The statue shows the photographer taking a snapshot, and the position in
the public space invites passers-by to take a photo in the centre of
Bistrita.
On the front of the camera the text "Fotograf Alexandru Rosu" is
engraved on top of it and "Turnatoria (foundry) TAPIO, 2015" on the bottom
of the camera.
Alexandru Rosu
"Alexandru Rosu was born in Bistrita, in 1854. He studied at the
gymnasiums of Bistrita and Nasaud. As a student, he stood out for his talent
for drawing, which is why his father, a policeman in Bistrita, decided to
enrol him as an apprentice in the studio of the photographer Carl Köller
(1838-1889).
After his apprenticeship in his studio and training with some of the
most famous photographers from abroad, Alexandru Rosu opened his own studio
at 22 Central Square in 1881, thus becoming the first Romanian photographer
in Bistrita. During the years he worked in this field, his first name
appears on the logos on the back of his photographs, either as Alexander (in
German) or Sandor (in Hungarian).
In 1881, he participated in the second national exhibition of the Astra,
which comprised the arts in four separate groups, including the graphic
arts, of which photography was one. Alexandru Rosu's photographs were
considered the most successful at the exhibition."
Translated from source:
biblioteca-digitala.ro/reviste/carte/MJIAM/dl.asp?filename=Mari-fotografi-din-Transilvania-XIX-XX_vol-I_2018.pdf