Sabin Bălașa (; June 17, 1932 – April 1, 2008) was a contemporary Romanian painter. His works were described by himself as belonging to cosmic Romanticism. Biography Bălașa was born in Dobriceni, Olt County. After completing his secondary education at Frații Buzești High School in Craiova in 1950, he attended the Nicolae Grigorescu Fine Arts Institute in Bucharest, graduating in 1955. He continued his studies at Siena and Perugia, in Italy. In 1973 and 1976 the Bucharest Mayor's office ordered and paid him to paint the portraits of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu. In the late 1980s, Bălașa was accused of promoting Ceaușescu's cult of personality. In December 2000 he was awarded by President Emil Constantinescu the National Order of Merit, Commander rank. In June 2005, Bălașa sued the French newspaper Le Monde for defamation after the paper reproduced a propaganda painting by another painter, claiming it was one of his. Le Monde subsequently acknowledged the error. He died in 2008 from lung cancer at Sfânta Maria Hospital in Bucharest and was buried at Eternitatea Cemetery in Iași. Works Murals Among Bălașa's most notable works are several large-scale fresco paintings. These include 19 murals, covering approximately , which decorate the interior of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași: Aspirație (Aspiration) – 380/546 cm Omagiu Întemeietorilor (Homage To The Founders) – 372/471 cm Amfiteatru (Amphitheatre) – 452/400 cm Generații (Generations) – 452/379 cm Triumful vieții (Triumph of Life) – 420/249 cm Dezastrul atomic (Atomic Disaster) – 420/249 cm Icar (Icarus) – 422/248 cm Prometeu (Prometheus) – 417/247 cm Exodul spre lumină (Exodus Towards the Light) – 416/247 cm Ștefan Cel Mare – 419/250 cm Moldova (Moldavia) – 430/265 cm Luceafărul – triptych 429/267 cm, 430/267 cm, 431/269 cm Bălașa used the image of Mihai Eminescu depicted in the nearby statue to paint the fresco in the university lobby, identifying the poet with the hero of Luceafărul. Animated painting movies Bălașa was the author and director of 12 animated painting movies: Picătura (The Drip) – 1966 Orașul (The City) – 1967 Valul (The Wave) – 1968 Pasărea Phoenix (The Phoenix Bird) – 1968 Fascinație (Fascination) – 1969 Întoarcere în viitor (Return to the Future) – 1971 Galaxia (The Galaxy) – 1973 Oda (The Ode) – 1975 Exodul spre lumină (Exodus Towards the Light) – 1979 Galleries in Romania and abroad Rome 1978; Rome 1980; Stockholm 1982; National Museum of Art of Romania,