Education

Maturally about Art

Maturally about Art is a series of classes whose main aim is to help prepare for the high school art history exam. It is also dedicated to young people interested in expanding their knowledge of art. The background of each meeting is a multimedia presentation or/and direct contact with works located in the space of the National Museum in Poznań.

28.09.2022 How to look at a work of art?
How to interpret and talk about painting and sculpture? As we walk through museum galleries we will pay attention to types of composition, lines, shapes and colors.

19.10.2022 Medieval idea of art
What is the difference between a nimbus and an aureole? What are the main types of medieval architecture? And why not all Madonnas are beautiful? We will talk about the most important aspects of Medieval art among museum exhibits.

16.11.2022 Masters of the Renaissance
The rediscovery of the antique, new types of works, the use of sfumato technique and a new perspective on the world allowed artists to spread their wings. By comparing the works of the most important masters of the Renaissance period, we will make an analysis of selected works.

07.12.2022 Baroque marketing tricks
What is the Girl Reading a Letter thinking about? Why were “funerary likenesses” multi-sided, and why do still-lifes often have veils? During the lesson we will find out what tricks Baroque artists used to attract the viewer’s attention.

25.01.2023 Romantic vision of the world
In romantic art, spirituality, emotionality and mystery intertwine with dramatic scenes from literature or current social and political events. Our task will be to compare selected works of the German, French and Polish romantic period.

22.02.2023 Is there still realistic art?
When does realism start and idealization end? By discussing selected works, we will trace realistic tendencies in art of various epochs.

29.03.2023 Young Poland inspirations, topics and motifs
An emphasis on symbolism, a hint of impressionism, a handful of expressionism or a pinch of secession? A walk among the unconventional works of Young Poland artists will allow us to get to know the variety of motifs, phenomena and art directions of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

26.04.2023 Long live the avant-garde!
In what way did the avant-garde artists carry out their innovative and revolutionary ideas? During the lesson we will discuss selected avant-garde trends.

10.05.2023 Trends in art after 1945
Socially engaged art, mass art or public art? Contemporary art goes beyond the walls of galleries and museums, becoming our everyday life.

21.06.2023 Conceptualism and new forms of works.
Collages and assemblages, installations or embalments? A few words about how the idea became a work of art.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The classes take place on a chosen Wednesday of the month (according to the schedule) from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the National Museum in Poznań, Al. Marcinkowskiego 9.
COST
Admission fee of 10 PLN for students up to 26 years old, or an admission ticket for a permanent exhibition (according to the price list).
REGISTRATION
No sign ups are required for the class.

Workshop cycle of art and design for teenagers from 14 years old.

Both nature studies and exercises of imagination will bring participants closer to the workshop and technological basics of various plastic fields: painting, studio drawing, anatomical and architectural, graphics and animated film. The subject of the classes will be related to the basic means of plastic expression, from which the composition is built: construction (shapes of solids and planes, proportions, human anatomy), color, spot, line, value, line, texture and light shade and perspective, expressing the space in the image.
Workshops are conducted in groups of up to 12 people in two-month cycles, covering 8 meetings (totaling 24 clock hours). During all editions, authors’ corrections are provided, tailored to the level of advancement of each participant.

Led by: Maria Pawłowska – graphic designer, painter, illustrator, art educator.

XXXIX edition

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2022

Drawing and painting techniques, convergent perspective, animated film

Deadline for applications and payments: 22.08-22.09.

Meeting dates: 1.10., 8.10., 15.10., 22.10., 29.10., 5.11., 12.11., 19.11.

,,Scale. A small picture in a big picture”.

The participants will be asked to create a pencil/charcoal drawing of a human figure as well as a still life painting in acrylic paints. The youth will observe and record on paper the relationship between the model and the still life within the surrounding space, using classical artistic techniques. Special attention will be paid to the topic of scale and learning to represent the proper proportions of the drawn elements. The inspiration will be Wacław Taranczewski’s 1943 painting “Little Painter” (from the MNP collection). The students will attempt to create a sense of depth in their works through the use of converging perspective and chiaroscuro. They will also learn how to create an animated film by combining frame-by-frame photography techniques and music. The workshop will be completed with personal corrections by the instructor.

XXXX edition

DECEMBER–JANUARY 2022/2023

Drawing and painting techniques, oblique perspective, portrait

Deadline for applications and payments: 17.10-17.11.

Meeting dates: November 26, December 3, December 10, December 17, January 7, January 14, January 21, January 28

,,Structure. Shiny-Matt”.

During the workshops participants will create works based on the arrangements of two still lifes built of elements with different structures. These will be smooth, shiny textures reflecting light in opposition to rough, matt textures absorbing light.

Students will learn to apply methods of replication and differentiation of these textures in their works through the use of classical art techniques. They will create black-and-white and colored works in oil pastel technique. Inspiration will be the painting from the MNP collection by Jan Lebenstein entitled “Figure of Gyre – Black-Red” from 1957/58. The youth will also get acquainted with the rules of oblique perspective by performing exercises and a drawing study of spatial geometric shapes made of paper. The cycle will be crowned with the task of making a copy of a portrait with an interpretation in tempera paint in direct contact with the original works of masters in the MNP Gallery.

XXXXI edition

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2023

Drawing and painting techniques, bird and frog perspective, animated film

Deadline for applications and payments: 27.12-27.01.

Meeting dates:. February 4, February 11, February 18, February 25, March 4, March 11, March 18, March 25

,,Shadow play. Transformation of 2D space into 3D”.

During the meetings, the youth will create drawings in shades of black, white and gray, as well as in a full range of colors on a colored background. Both studio works will be done in drawing technique (dry pastel). Two still lifes will serve as a basis for analysis and observation. Special attention will be paid to the shadow play model. The application of it creates the impression that the two-dimensional space changes into three-dimensional. The basic, auxiliary exercise will be the creation of a value scale. The inspiration for creative work will be the picture of Zbigniew Gostomski entitled “Optical Object XXXI” from 1965. The students will also make an architectural drawing in a frog’s perspective and from an aerial view, based on several geometric solids placed high or low in the room. In addition, the youth will take frame-by-frame photos according to their own scenario in order to create an animated film. The classes will be enriched with various practical exercises, theoretical knowledge and original corrections.

XXXXII edition

APRIL–MAY 2023

Drawing and painting techniques, aerial perspective

Deadline for applications and payments: 23.02-23.03.

Meeting dates: April 1, April 15, April 22, April 29, May 6, May 13, May 27, June 3

,,Colors. Saturated-pastel”.

The task of the youth will be to make a pencil drawing study or a charcoal drawing study based on a situation with a model. The young creators will learn the classical basics of drawing a human figure with elements of anatomy. In a painting study of still life in the technique of acrylic paints, the youth will learn to reflect the given space using the temperature of colors through skillful use of their attributes: color, saturation and brightness. On this basis, students will develop a spatial model of objects and build near and distant spatial plans in their painting works. The youth will additionally create a linear drawing in the technique of black felt-tip pen. The topic of aerial perspective will be discussed and practiced. The inspiration will be the painting by Jan Mroziński entitled “Autumn Mists” from 1921. Students will work in oil pastel technique in the MNP gallery in direct contact with the master’s painting.

XXXXIII edition

JUNE 2023

Drawing and painting techniques

Deadline for applications and payments: 4.05-2.06.

Meeting dates: June 10, June 17, June 24, July 1.

,,Shape. Organic – drawn with a ruler.”.

The students will create a drawing and painting study in the technique of black ink, red chalk and bamboo pens, as well as watercolor paints. The works will be based on a still life composed of organic elements (plants, fruits, vegetables) contrasted with geometric elements (figures, planes, solids). Attention will be paid to the differences between organic shapes, in accordance with nature and modeled on living organisms, in opposition to stylized shapes, drawn with a ruler. Students will learn to differentiate between smooth, plastic forms with intricate, flowing, wavy shapes from geometric forms with straight lines and angular, angular shapes. Drawing and painting notes will be created using the classical plastic workshop. Accompanying this will be assigned exercises for the participants and theoretical lectures and author’s corrections by the workshop leader.

COST

• 250 PLN per person. The price includes participation in workshops, art materials, and admission to permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions during each edition of the workshops.
• Payment (only after prior registration on the participants list) at the cash desk of the National Museum in Poznań at ul. Marcinkowskiego 9 (cash desk closes 30 minutes before the Museum closes) – or by bank transfer with the title: Kreatywni (edition number…) + name and surname to the account: Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, Poznań branch, 62 1130 1088 0001 3026 9720 0016

REGISTRATION

• Registrations are accepted by phone on dates specified for each edition (dates listed in the schedule). The number of places is limited, the order of applications decides.
• Enrollments are accepted from Monday to Friday from 8am to 3.30pm at tel. no. 61 85 68 136 or by email at kreatywni@mnp.art.pl. Please include your name, surname and contact phone number in the application.
• The National Museum in Poznan reserves the right to cancel workshops in case of insufficient number of registrations.

DRAWING AND PAINTING WITHOUT SECRETS

INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKSHOPS.

These classes are addressed to adults who wish to develop, deepen their knowledge and skills in the field of drawing and painting. The subject of the workshops are issues related to artistic expression, problematized creative issues constituting a dialogue with directions and trends of visual arts. The practice is supplemented with theoretical content in the program of meetings. In addition to the realization of works, the classes take into account the sightseeing from the perspective of the issues discussed during the activities of the permanent and temporary exhibitions presented in the National Museum.

The workshop formula allows participation of people at different levels of advancement, as it is based on individual, authorial corrections performed by the leading artists.

The activities are carried out in groups of up to 18 people, in cycles comprising five meetings (totally 20 clock hours). Four meetings are held in consecutive Fridays, the fifth one takes place on Saturday after the last Friday, in the exhibition space of the National Museum.

In the summer, outdoor workshops are organized in the park in front of the Museum of Applied Arts in the Royal Castle in Poznań, consisting of four meetings (16 clock hours).

WORKSHOP I– 07.10.2022, 14.10.2022, 21.10.2022 28.10.2022, 29.10.2022

Registration and payments: 7.09 – 30.09.2022

Collage Painting – How to understand these words?

Collage Painting – How to understand these words? What is a collage painting? What could it be? Is the formal assembly of the components of the painting more important, or rather its ideological aspects? Is this about an external compilation, or a combination of the internal elements of the painting? What potential does a “collage painting” have, what does it mean, what interpretation clues does it provide? We will answer these and other questions consciously as we build painting compositions. Participants will work in acrylic technique, based on three authorial spatial layouts. The whole will be complemented by exercises prepared for the classes.

Led by: Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa, Jarosław Szelest

WORKSHOP II – 18.11.2022, 25.11.2022, 02.12.2022, 09.12.2022, 10.12.2022

Registrations and payments: 18.10 – 10.11.2022

“To nie jest fajka”– tropem René Magritte’a. Będziemy się zastanawiać nad relacjami wizerunku i słowa, nad ich związkami z rzeczywistością funkcjonującą poza obrazem. Realizacje powstaną w oparciu o podane hasła stanowiące inspirację artystyczną. Zadania będą ujęte problematycznie, by akt twórczy został poprzedzony wnikliwymi procesami myślenia i umiejętnościami krytycznego spojrzenia na otoczenie (przeszłe, teraźniejsze i przyszłe). Uczestnicy pracować będą w technice suchej pasteli.

Sobotnie spotkanie to działanie w oparciu o dokonaną analizę wybranych prac stałej ekspozycji Muzeum Narodowego.

Led by: Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa, Jarosław Szelest

WORKSHOP III – 13.01.2023, 20.01.2023, 27.01.2023, 03.02.2023, 04.02.2023

Registrations and payments: 6.12 – 6.01.2023

Human figure – a classical study model.

Participants will complete two drawing works in pencil and charcoal technique. The reference point for the actions will be two self-developed situations placing a person in two cultural contexts. The theoretical supplement of the classes will be a multimedia presentation showing from the perspective of the history of art the complexity and diversity of human silhouettes.

Led by: Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa, Jarosław Szelest

Leaving Black Behind – Following in the Footsteps of of Kapists

A workshop cycle devoted to colorism, shaping form with color. The classes will involve two spatial situations as the starting point for tempera painting.

The practice will be supported by theory concerning color broadly understood. During an authorial multimedia presentation the color wheel, rules of color mixing and examples from the history of art showing the art of thinking in color perspective will be discussed.

Saturday’s workshops will be drawing exercises that attempt to translate color into value. They will become a kind of dialogue with the works exhibited at the National Museum.

Led by: Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa, Jarosław Szelest

WORKSHOP V – 17.03.2023, 24.03.2023, 31.03.2023, 14.04.2022, 15.04.2023

Registrations and payments: 11.02 – 11.03.2023

Dead nature with gold and saffron

“I use all sorts of things for my work: old brushes, old sweaters and all kinds of strange tools and materials.” Francis Bacon

Elements of a vivid yellow-orange hue will become an inspiration for creating a monochromatic composition. Yellow objects will be a stimulus for painting searches within this symbolic color. The works will be created on the basis of two author’s arrangements of still lifes. They will be made with the help of self-constructed tools. Participants will work with materials of natural origin.

Led by: Sylwia Chudy- Leśnik, Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa

WORKSHOP VI – 21.04.2023, 28.04.2023, 05.05.2023, 12.05.2023,  13.05.2023 / 19.05.2023, 20.05.2023

Registrations and payments: 14.03 – 14.04.2023

„Irish Green”.

At first glance, a monochromatic story will take us into a world of richness of shades of green. Participants of the workshops will work based on two original arrangements of still lifes in acrylic painting technique. The arrangements will be built using plants. During the creative process we will question the stereotype of functioning of greenery in our surroundings. Complementing the practical part of the classes will be a multimedia presentation capturing the symbolism of the national color of Ireland in the context of the history of art.

During the Saturday classes, we will conduct a detailed analysis of interpretations of greenery based on selected works from the museum exhibition.

Led by: Sylwia Chudy- Leśnik, Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa

OUTING I – 26.05.20223, 27.05.2022, 02.06.2022, 03.06.2022

Registrations and payments: 19.04 – 19.05.2023

Place: Museum of Applied Arts in the Royal Castle in Poznań

Panorama

During the workshops we will consider what a panorama is, what properties it has and what it is characterized by. The reference point will be the views from the Royal Castle capturing the architecture of the Old Market from the bird’s eye view. Creative registrations will be made using acrylic painting technique. The practice will be paralleled with theory, supplemented with author’s corrections and additional exercises.

Led by: Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa, Jarosław Szelest

OUTING II – 16.06.2023, 17.06.2023, 23.06.2023, 24.06.2023

Registrations and payments: 09.05 – 09.06.2023

Place: Museum of Applied Arts in the Royal Castle in Poznań

Studying the elements of the landscape

Based on a compilation of nature and the urban landscape, we will analyze the components of the open space from a perspective of diverse scales. During the workshops, two images will be created, whose formats will be in a dynamic and contrasting relationship with each other. We will work in the technique of coloured ink and oil pastel.

Led by: Magdalena Parnasow- Kujawa, Jarosław Szelest

COST

PLN 350 for the workshop and PLN 280 for the plein-air

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

• Classes in each cycle take place on four Fridays and in the last week additionally on Saturday.
• Duration of classes: Fridays – 4:00-7:45 pm, Saturdays – 1:00-4:45 pm.
• Location of classes: Fridays – so-called “aquarium”, a room next to the Promotion Department, Saturdays – exhibition space of the museum.
• Outings: Fridays – 4:00 – 8:00 pm, Saturdays – 11:00 – 3:00 pm. Royal Castle Museum of Applied Arts in Poznan.

CALLIGRAPHY AND ILLUMINATION

Can writing be an art? If you want to prove that every letter can be beautiful, although it requires a lot of patience and effort, we invite you to a workshop on calligraphy and illumination. This season we offer several series during which you will be able to learn the basics of several writing styles and the art of illumination – that is, the decoration of books. The classes are aimed at adults, even those who have never had any contact with calligraphy before.

Host: Olga Paszkowska – has been dealing with calligraphy for 17 years and illumination for 12 years; a graduate of the Barbara Bodziony Calligraphy and Illumination School in Krakow. In addition to workshops at the National Museum in Poznan and other facilities, she leads presentations and shows at knight festivals and outdoor events.

ART OF DECORATION – INTRICATE FILIGREE – Illumination

Decorative initials served an important function in old books – they indicated the beginning of a paragraph or chapter. During the workshop we will learn how to make one of them, called filigree. Those who have previously attended calligraphy classes can supplement the illustration with a chosen quote.
Workshop date: 29.10.2022
Saturday 11am – 2pm.
Workshop cost: 60 zł (1 meeting, 3 hours)
Enrollment and payments: 26.09.2022 – 21.10.2022

UNCJAŁA – “Round Writing” – Calligraphy

Learning one of the oldest scripts of the Middle Ages, characterized by a large number of arches and roundness. There is no distinction between upper and lower case letters, so this alphabet is recommended to start the adventure with calligraphy.
Workshop dates: 18,19,25,26.11.2022
Friday, 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-2 pm
Workshop cost: 220 PLN (4 meetings of 3 hours)
Applications and payments: 17.10.2022 – 10.11.2022

ART DECORATION – DISCOVER YOUR ANGEL – Illumination

For those who are delighted with decorations in addition to letters in old books, we invite you to a workshop on the basics of illumination – we will paint an angel according to the rules and patterns of medieval illuminators. People who have previously participated in calligraphy classes can supplement the illustration with a selected quote.
Workshop dates: 9,10.12.2022
Friday, 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-2 pm
Workshop cost: 120 PLN (2 meetings of 3 hours)
Applications and payments: 07.11.2022 – 01.12.2022

BASTARDA – GOTHIC CURSIVE – Calligraphy

Learning bastard, Gothic script – less straight lines here than in texture, more Gothic arches. A demanding but very effective one. The workshop covers only small letters – the continuation of it is “Great Gothic”.
Workshop dates: 20,21.01 and 27,28.01.2023
Friday, 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-2 pm
Workshop cost: 220 PLN (4 meetings of 3 hours)
Applications and payments: 19.12.2022 – 13.01.2022

TEXTURE – “SQUARE WRITING” – Calligraphy

Learning a script commonly called “Gothic” – a very beautiful but demanding script characterized by straight, vertical lines. The workshop covers only small letters – the continuation of it is “Great Gothic”.
Workshop dates: 24,25.02 and 3,4.03.2023
Friday, 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-2 pm
Workshop cost: 220 PLN (4 meetings of 3 hours)
Applications and payments: 23.01.2022 – 17.02.2022

ART DECORATION – DISCOVER YOUR DRAGON – Illumination

For those who are delighted with decorations in addition to letters in old books and medieval imagination, we invite you to a workshop on the basics of illumination – we will paint a dragon according to the rules and patterns of medieval illuminators. People who have previously participated in calligraphy classes can supplement the illustration with a selected quote.
Workshop dates: 24,25.03.2023
Friday, 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-2 pm
Workshop cost: 120 PLN (2 meetings of 3 hours)
Applications and payments: 20.02.2022 – 17.03.2022

GREAT GOTHIC – Calligraphy

Learning large letters of the Gothic script – one of the most difficult but also most effective scripts of the Middle Ages. Here each letter is a separate work of art. We especially welcome people who have already participated in texture or bastard workshops.
Workshop dates: 12,13,19,20.05.2023
Friday, 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-2 pm
Workshop cost: 220 PLN (4 meetings of 3 hours)
Applications and payments: 10.04.2022 – 05.05.2022

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

The condition of participation in the course is to read the regulations and sign the declaration and deliver it after signing to the course instructor at the first meeting of the course.
COST:

220/120/60 PLN (depending on the given topic of the meetings) – the price includes participation in the classes, art materials and admission to the permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions during the workshops.

PAYMENT (only after prior confirmed entry on the list of participants):
– at the cash desk of the National Museum in Poznań (Al. Marcinkowskiego 9) during the Museum’s opening hours for visitors (the cash desk closes 30 minutes before the Museum closes)
– or by bank transfer to the account:
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego Oddział w Poznaniu, 62 1130 1088 0001 3026 9720 0016
Title: Calligraphy + name and surname of the participant

REGISTRATION

• Deadlines for applications and payments are given in the schedule
• By phone from Monday to Friday from 8:00-15:30
• By e-mail to: kaligrafia@mnp.art.pl
• In the application, please provide your name, surname and contact telephone number
• Number of places limited (to 10 people), the order of entries decides.
• The museum reserves the right to cancel the workshop in the event of insufficient registration.

The World of Images

Open Sesame

It is no secret that museum collections are much richer than what we can admire on display… This season we will again reach for what is normally unseen! – invited guests will reveal the backstage of museum warehouses. The repertoire will be varied, embellished with important names, but also discovering pearls not functioning in a wide circulation, and undoubtedly worthy of public attention.

The World of Images is a lecture series of long tradition, intended to present works from the collection of the Museum. Addressed primarily to adult viewers, it is also open to young people. Lectures always take place in the gallery space, and the main hero of each meeting is usually one object. Through the discussion of selected works, each year the audience will get to know a different part of the collections of the National Museum in Poznań. The main assumption of the series is to make museum objects function in a wider context. Invited guests and museum staff, during an hour-long lecture, will introduce the audience to selected paintings and sculptures, while discovering their connections with the life of creators, culture and problems of a particular epoch.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Lectures take place every selected Saturday of the month (according to the schedule) at 11.15 a.m. at the National Museum in Poznań, Al. Marcinkowskiego 9
COST
The ticket to the museum (1 PLN for young people up to 26 years old, 13 PLN reduced, 20 PLN normal)
REGISTRATION
No registration required for the classes.

Guided walk

The National Museum in Poznań encourages you to take advantage of the offer of guided tours of the Gallery of Painting and Sculpture. For visitors, we have prepared four walks that introduce the MNP collection in an interesting and accessible way. For Christmas and Easter, we also offer specially prepared festive walks. We hope that these guided tours will allow you to look at many works of art from a completely different perspective and rediscover them.

MNP COLLECTION

TOP 10 of the National Museum in Poznań

Our Museum has many valuable and important objects in its collection, but there are real masterpieces among them, which attract art lovers from all over the world to Poznań. Starting with ancient art, during the walk you can see the exceptional one of the largest in Poland collections of tomb portraits. Among the works of European painting, which must be seen, are unique on a Polish scale: Chess Game by Sofonisba Anguissola – a woman painter from the Renaissance period (the second occasion only in the castle in Łańcut) and – the only one in Poland! – the painting of the French Impressionist Claude Monet Pourville Beach. In the part devoted to Polish art, the impressive and widely known Coronation Portrait of Stanisław August Poniatowski by Marcello Bacciarelli is noteworthy. However, our gallery is famous above all for the Young Polish art presented here with a whole pantheon of celebrities: Malczewski, Wyspiański, Boznańska and key works for this period, including Jacek Malczewski’s Błędne koło or Władysław Podkowiński’s Wet Village. From the latest art, we can confidently recommend the works of Kantor and Opałka (the second in the series of Counted Paintings) – two great visionaries of the 20th century, as well as an excellent collection of Polish colorists and works of the famous Witkacy Portrait Company.

Masters of Young Poland

Works of art of Young Poland are one of the most important parts of the collection of the National Museum in Poznań. This collection can boast not only excellent names, but also representative works that perfectly show one of the best periods in the history of Polish art. The Poznań Museum has a large collection of works by Jacek Malczewski (including Błędne koło, Thanatos, the Zatruta studnia series), beautiful pastel portraits of Stanisław Wyspiański’s children or the Mother of God with the Child and the landscape of Quentin Massys from 1896. On our exhibition we also present the works of Olga Boznańska – one of the few female artists of that time, who gained fame thanks to her wonderful portraits. An important part of the collection are also the paintings of Leon Wyczółkowski (oil and pastel), Józef Chełmoński, the Gierymskis brothers, Wojciech Weiss, Witold Wojtkiewicz or the works of Polish impressionists – Józef Pankiewicz and Władysław Podkowiński.

Masterpieces of European art from the 16th to the 19th century

The path is set by the most valuable works from the collection of Atanazy Raczyński, a diplomat and connoisseur of exquisite taste, whose superb collections have significantly influenced the image of today’s exhibition of foreign art. On our stroll, we will see works that not only dazzle with their artistic level, but enchant with the stories hidden under the painter’s layer. These gems include: Chess Game by Sofonisba Anguissola from 1555, the Rosary Madonna Adored by Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán, and the Madonna with Child and Lamb against a Landscape by Quentin Metsys, reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s work. The story will be enriched with canvas by German Romantics, whom Atanazy particularly appreciated. He had to fight many battles to acquire their works. He was particularly proud of the great canvas by Wilhelm von Kaulbach, The Battle of the Huns.

20th century Polish art

The collection of 20th century Polish art is displayed on two floors of the new building. The dividing line is 1945. On the first floor, we present art from the interwar period: avant-garde and Polish colourists, as well as works by two personalities: Witkacy and Tadeusz Makowski. The topic of contemporary art, presented on the second floor, will be opened by the important names of Tadeusz Kantor and Jerzy Nowosielski. A poignant testimony of the war times and the difficult years for Polish art in the 1940s and 1950s will be the paintings of Andrzej Wróblewski. Representing the so-called new media will be the works of Zofia Kulik or Izabella Gustowska, and finally we will return to painting, watching the abstractions of Stażewski, the figurative works of the group “Wprost” and the second of the famous “counted pictures” by Roman Opałka.

CHRISTMAS THEMES IN MNP

Christmas

The faces of this holiday are varied: tender sentiment and folklore, spectacular show with a hint of exoticism or a sort of biblia pauperum, that is, a lecture on theology for the little ones. A walk will be an opportunity to delve into the iconography of Christmas – so familiar in its schemes, yet still intriguing for the meanings hidden in it. Staying in the December theme, we will also not forget the beauty of the winter landscape, which hypnotized landscape painters with its countless shades of white. The image of winter will also warm the short journey into the world of childhood, decorations and toys from the home-like tranquility and festive folk traditions.

Easter contexts

What does Young Poland have in common with an egg? How to discover a Passionate meaning in a lyrical Renaissance image? By sometimes asking unexpected questions, we will discover interesting contexts, drawing both from drama and the freedom of the Easter theme. During the holiday walk, we will try to look at art and artist inspirations through the prism of the diversity of themes and the symbolic depth of Easter. The meeting will also be an opportunity to discuss traditional rituals and a good opportunity to expand thoughts on the theme of spring awakening.

COST

• PLN 120 + admission ticket to the exhibition (PLN 20 regular ticket, PLN 13 concessions, PLN 1 for young people studying up to 26 years of age)
• Duration: approx. 60 minutes

REGISTRATION

• By phone: from Monday to Friday from 8:00–15:30 on tel. 61 85 68 136
• At least two weeks in advance, three days before the set date, the reservation must be confirmed by phone.