111
works from the collection of Muzeum Sztuki
in Lodz
by Miroslaw
Borusiewicz, Editor
Muzeum Sztuki,
Lodz, 2004
240 pp., illus. Trade, $N/A
ISBN: 83-97937-33-9.
Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen
Hogeschool Gent
Jan Delvinlaan 115, 9000 Gent, Belgium
stefaan.vanryssen@pandora.be
The Sztuki Muzeum in Lodz, Poland, was
the first museum of contemporary art in
Europe. Its roots lay in the collection
of Kazimierz Bartoszewicz, a Cracow-based
writer in 1930, and it quickly acquired
avant-garde works from all over the world.
Michel Seuphor, who helped its creation,
pointed out that it was the second permanent
collection of avant-garde in the world,
after the Abstraktes Kabinett in Hannover.
Works by Arp, Calder, Danaunay, Van Doesburg,
Léger, Ozenfant, Picasso, Schwitters,
Michaux and Taeuber-Arp constituted the
core of the collection, next to paintings
by lesser known Polish artists such as
Strzeminski, Kobro and Stazewski from
the "a.r." group and the more
famous Stanislaw Igancy Witkiewicz.
The development of the museum came to
a standstill by the outbreak of World
War II. Between 1939 and 1945 the museum
remained under German administration,
when the collection of modern art was
labelled "entartete und judische
Kunst" (decadent and Jewish art).
From 1945 the entire collection ranging
from Baroque to Surrealist art was again
on show, but the museum was closed by
the authorities in 1950, as incompatible
with the principles of Socialist Realism.
Only in 1960 was a new gallery of 20th
century art created.
The editor selected 111 works from the
museum as an introduction into its rich
collection and as a showcase for lesser-known
Polish art through the ages. Each image
is accompanied by a short introduction,
situating the artist in a Polish and international
art context where necessary. The works
by Moeyaert, Signac, Feininger, Vantongerloo,
Seligmann and Ernst, Klee and Picasso,
Spoerri, Boltanski, Vasarely, Uecker,
Wiener, Beuys and Mariusz Kruk are an
interesting point of reference for the
development of Polish art, and the whole
selection shows that Polish artists havent
been barred from a single influence and
havent missed an avant-garde train
in Western art. Judging from the illustrated
works, some of them have been working
at a very high level indeed. Among many
others, I want to mention my personal
top three: Stanislaw Fijalkowskis
painting Angel in the Shape of an
Earthworm, Edward Krasnskis
Atelier Puzzle, a humorous
game played with cut-up representations
of space and featuring his ubiquitous
blue line of scotch stuck
horizontally at the height of 130 centimeters
and a fabulous Multiple Portrait
from 1917 by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz
(aka Witkacy).
At times, it isnt clear why the
editor has chosen a certain ordering of
the selection. It is neither alphabetical
nor strictly chronological or stylistic.
But that is only a minor criticism considering
the many merits of this book. Most importantly,
it offers an easily readable and well-illustrated
introduction in contemporary Polish art.
And on top of that, it makes you want
to go to the Sztuki, whenever youre
in the neighbourhood. There are a lot
of fine things to see there, thats
for sure.