MNAC, as it is universally known, occupies the E4 wing of the Palace of the Parliament — accessed by its own entrance and a glass elevator bolted to the side of the building. The juxtaposition is deliberate: the most overbearing piece of communist architecture in the country now houses Romanian conceptual and contemporary art, much of it explicitly critical of the regime that built the place.
The collection covers Romanian artists from the 1960s onwards and the temporary exhibitions are often the best contemporary shows in the country. The top floor terrace café gives a Brâncuși-shaped view across Centrul Civic. Entry is cheap. To get in you walk along the side of the Parliament Palace and present your ID at the security checkpoint.