Józef Chełmoński 1849-1914
EXHIBITION TICKETS
standard ticket: PLN 30
discount ticket: PLN 20
free ticket: children under 7
group ticket for 10 or more persons: PLN 20/person
school group ticket for 10 or more persons, with a museum lesson: PLN 10/person
standard combination ticket (entitles you to enter the museum and the exhibition „Józef Chełmoński 1849-1914”): PLN 40
discount combination ticket (entitles you to enter the museum and the exhibition „Józef Chełmoński 1849-1914”): PLN 26.50
Tickets available at the museum’s box office at Aleje Marcinkowskiego 9 and on the online ticket sales platform ToBilet.pl 
The exhibition „Józef Chełmoński 1849-1914” is a remarkable event among the meetings with art planned for this year. Unprecedented, even, taking into account both the scope of the historical, artistic, and conservatory research leading to it as well as the size and representativeness of the exhibition itself. Its organisation was possible thanks to the cooperation of the three oldest and largest Polish national museums: in Warsaw, Poznań, and Kraków. Involved in arranging it since 2022, the curatorial and conservation team have done a tremendous job, the fruits of which will be on display at the National Museum in Poznań from March 7 to June 29. (Previously, the exhibition was on view in Warsaw, and Poznań will be followed by Kraków).
An impressive exhibition
The script of the Poznań exhibition differs from that followed in Warsaw and Kraków, where works were ordered according to dominant motifs. The Poznań edition is a classic, chronological presentation of Józef Chełmoński’s oeuvre – in total, 122 paintings, 14 sketchbooks, and 58 works on paper. They come from museums from all over Poland, private collections and foreign institutions – from the United States, Switzerland, and Hungary.
Another major difference in regard to the Warsaw exhibition is the wider selection of paintings and drawings. These include, among others, „Sleigh Ride” („Kulig”), also known as „Carnival in Poland” („Karnawał w Polsce”). Residents of Greater Poland will surely cherish it, as, prior to World War II, it belonged to the Raczyński family of Rogalin. This large-format painting was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London in the summer of 2024, where it was purchased for a private collection. This will be its first presentation in decades.
A remarkable journey
We offer the Poznań audience a journey through the different years of Chełmoński’s artistic activity: from his painting studies in Warsaw and Munich and his time in the Studio at Hotel Europejski in Warsaw, through nearly twelve years in Paris, to his life in Kuklówka in Mazovia.
The chronological arrangement of the works, divided into the most important stages of the artist’s life, shows the dynamics of his work, the dominant themes at a given time, the changing ways of painting, abandoned themes, and the return of motifs. We encourage you to view the exhibition with a guide prepared by the curators, with whom we will strive to answer the question – Józef Chełmoński: a romantic or a realist?
The arrangement, meanwhile, ensures that the works are displayed in such a way as to emphasise their originality and daringness, while also demonstrating the panache and full range of Chełmoński’s skills.
Józef Chełmoński, „Girl by the Stile” ( „Dziewczyna u przełazu”), 1869, Museum of Art in Łódź, inv. No. MS/SP/M/301
True masterpieces
„Józef Chełmoński 1849-1914” is an impressive exhibition of both well-known works – such as the iconic „Indian Summer” („Babie Lato”), „Storks” („Bociany”), or „Plow” („Orka”) – and those that have rarely, or never, been shown to the public before – such as „Bittern” („Bąk”) from a private collection or „Before the Inn” („Przed Karczmą”) found in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. Chełmoński created true masterpieces depicting the Polish countryside, galloping horses, hunts, village markets, dancing before inns, and landscapes at different times of the day and year. The attention to detail, the astonishing meticulousness never cease to amaze – but neither do the almost abstract landscapes such as „The Starry Night” („Noc gwiaździsta”). The paintings are rife with symbols and metaphors, all of them tell exciting stories. They still cause stir, as they did among critics in the past, and they remain thought-provoking.
Józef Chełmoński, „Storks” („Bociany”), 1900, National Museum in Warsaw, inv. No. MP 561 MNW
To see more
A monographic exhibition of this kind is held once every couple of decades. It is a unique opportunity to see such a vast collection of the great artist’s paintings in one place! „Józef Chełmoński 1849-1914” comprises almost 200 works by one of the most important Polish artists of the second half of the 19th century – works that may be analysed anew to reveal their diverse meanings. Reflecting upon Chełmoński’s paintings makes it possible to see the world through the prism of its artistic and metaphorical wealth.
Poster for the exhibition prepared on the basis of: Józef Chełmoński, „Weather. Hawk” ( „Pogoda. Jastrząb”), 1899, National Museum in Poznań, inv. No. MNP Mp 3493
Curator
dr Maria Gołąb
Co-curator
dr Arkadiusz Krawczyk
Arrangement
dr Raman Tratsiuk
Project manager
Karina Adamska
Visual identification of the exhibition: Agencja Reklamowa DSK Sp. z o.o.