Ion Codrescu graduated from the Nicolae Grigorescu Institute of Fine Arts in Bucharest, the Faculty of Drawing (1973) and the Faculty of Museology (1982). PhD in Visual Arts at the National University of Arts, Bucharest (his thesis Image and Text in Haiga, 2007). Member of Writers’ Union of Romania (since 1995).
He taught art history, comparative art and ink painting at the Ovidius University in Constanţa and at the Aichi University in Toyohashi, Japan, as a visiting scholar. He was invited to give courses, lectures and workshops on art, haiga painting and poetry in schools, colleges and universities in Finland (Hyvinkää Art Center), USA (Union College-Schenectady, University of Oklahoma, Hot Springs College, North Carolina University, Portland State University), Japan (Kokushikan University, Senshu University, Tokyo University for Foreign Studies, Doshisha University, Ryukoku University) and in France (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris).
He is the founder of the Constanța Haiku Society, Albatross journal, the Constanța International Haiku Festival, and Hermitage journal.
Books in print:
- Desene printre haiku/Drawings among Haiku, Editura Muntenia, Constanţa, 1992.
- L’abricotier change de visage, Editions Voix d’Encre, Montélimar, 1994, France.
- Flori nevândute/Unsold Flowers, Hub Editions, Flitwick, 1995, Great Britain.
- Oaspete străin/A Foreign Guest, Editura Ex Ponto, Constanţa, 1999.
- Vocile muntelui/Mountain Voices, Ami-Net International Press, Bicester, 2000, Great Britain.
- Kaplice rose, Drustvo Apokalipsa, Ljubljana, 2000, Slovenia.
- Imagine şi text în haiga, Editura Herald, Bucharest, 2008.
- Waiting in Silence/Wachten in stilte, ’t schrijverke, Hertogenbosch, 2009, The Netherlands.
- On the Way – An Artist’s Book. Chiyo-ni Museum, 2022, Japan.
- Der Duft des Tuschsteins. 82 Haiga inspiriert durch 82 deutsche Haiku, (co-author Klaus-Dieter Wirth), Sonderdruck der Deutschen Haiku-Gesellschaft, Hamburger Haiku Verlag, 2015, Germany.
- Ikuya’s Haiku with Codrescu’s Haiga (co-author Itō Isao), Ronsō-sha Publishing House, 2015, Tokyo, Japan.
- Constanţa – Antologie de haiku / Constantza – International Haiku Anthology, Editura Muntenia, Constanţa, 1992.
- Ocolind iazul / Round the Pond – An Anthology, Editura Muntenia, Constanţa, 1994.
- Haiku-Haiga. Activităţi creative pentru elevi / Haiku-Haiga. Creative Activities for Students, Editura Ex Ponto, Constanţa, 2004.
- HAÏGA – Peindre en poésie, A.F.H., 2012, Barjols, France.
- Something Out of Nothing. Seventy-five Haiga, Red Moon Press, 2014, Winchester, the USA.
- The Wanderer Brush, Red Moon Press, 2020, Winchester, the USA.
- A Haiga Journey, Red Moon Press, 2020, Winchester, the USA.
- Skimmer – Haiku och Haiga, Svenska Haikusällskapet, Stockholm, 2022, Sweden.
- Epistole către Ovidiu / Letters to Ovid / Lettres à Ovide, Eikon Press, Bucharest, 2023.
- Pagini de haibun / Haibun Pages, Eikon Press, Bucharest, 2024.
His articles, poems, essays, studies, prefaces, book reviews and illustrations appeared in newspapers, magazines, volumes, and anthologies published in Romania, France, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Colombia, Bulgaria, Republic of Moldavia, and the USA.
Awards (a selection):
The Haiku Literature Museum Award, Tokyo, This Is Yomiuri Newspaper Award, Nagoya City Award, Bashō International Contest, Haiku Society of America First Prize, Grand Prix—L’iroli Haibun Contest (France), and Writers Union of Romania Prize—Dobrogea Branch.
Scholarships:
Scholarships in Japan offered by Mitsuo Akiyama family, Kokushikan University, Japan Foundation, Aichi University, Ireland (Tyrone Gutherie Cultural Center) and Spain (Art and Nature Center of Farrera).
His graphic works were exhibited in over fifty personal exhibitions in Romania and abroad (France, Italy, Holland, Spain, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, the USA, Canada and Japan). Museums in Japan (Matsuo Bashō, Chiyo-ni, Setagaya and Gunma) and private collections from several countries and universities (Doshisha University, Aichi University, Union College) own his graphic works.