|
On Dec. 17 Zachęta Gallery on Małachowskiego Square in Warsaw opened an exhibition of works by the most famous Polish impressionist, the "artist of artists," Olga Boznańska.
The display was organized on the 140th anniversary of the artist's birthday and the 65th anniversary of her death. This is the second event organized as part of "The Unknown Boznańska" Jubilee Year of Olga Boznańska. The event inauguration was the Olga Boznańska in the Academy exhibition and a seminar In the Studio, organized by the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow.
Boznańska's legacy is enormous, comprising over 1,200 finished paintings and sketches. Most can be found in private collections in Poland and abroad (in Europe, the United States, Canada, South America and Japan). In recent years, many unknown works by Boznańska have been discovered, but there are probably even more. The paradox concerning one of the most outstanding Polish painters is that due to lack of space, public collections of her works in Poland are kept in storage rooms and sometimes remain unknown-just like the works abroad. The jubilee year, and particularly the exhibition presented in Zachęta, will certainly increase interest in the artist's invaluable work.
The Unknown Boznańska includes over 110 until recently unknown paintings. They can be divided into three theme groups illustrating motifs that are important to her work-portraits, studio interiors and still lifes. These are works that have not been displayed since the painter's death, as well as those that have never been presented in Poland, for example, Maternity (1902), brought for the display specially from Paris from the collection of Marek Mielniczuk; Reverie-Jeune femme au kimono bleu (1902) that unexpectedly appeared at an auction in France and was bought by a Polish collector; and Young Breton Girl (1889).
The first theme group, portraits, includes real masterpieces, such as Portrait de Franciszek Siedlecki, a well-known graphic artist and art critic, painted in Munich in 1896; a portrait of Boznańska's friend, American painter Bernard Harrison, that until recently was believed to be lost (1913-14); and Portrait de Eugene Gondon, a Paris banker and a friend of Boznańska's. There is a also Portrait of Irena Stokowska, a social worker, who supported the artist during a difficult period. The display also includes self-portraits, as well as children's portraits, which the artist painted throughout her life, and which are best known and most often associated with Boznańska.
The second part of the exhibition includes images of the artist's studios in Munich, Cracow and Paris that are "the most sensitive register of the subtle change of the painter's mood," according to exhibition curator Anna Król. "These paintings were discovered recently. The exhibition includes three masterpieces: the extensive, multi-layer In the Studio (ca. 1890); the beautiful, atmospheric sketch Studio Interior (ca. 1895), presenting a man reading a book; and In the Studio (1897)."
Still lifes, initially created in between commissioned works, are also an important part of Boznańska's oeuvre. Flowers-withering, losing intensity of color-are the main motif here.
The jubilee year will end with the presentation of Boznańska's Manggha featuring Japanese motifs in the artist's works and her relationship with outstanding collector Feliks Manggha-Jasieński. It was prepared by the Manggha Center of Japanese Art and Technology in Cracow.
The display runs through January 2006.
 |
 |
|
|
| send
to a friend |
print
article |
|
|
|
|
Latest News
