Selected Polish Artists of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Polish artists and their paintings generally are not well-known but certainly should be.
One reason for this is Poland’s disappearance from Europe’s map after having been divided up by Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1795. After 123 years, Poland was recreated in 1918 at the end of World War I. A second reason is the theft of thousands of paintings by the Germans during their attack on and occupation of Poland during World War II. Very few paintings have been found and recovered, mostly by the Polish government, which has employed various and often creative methods of recovery. It is interesting to note that German law does not require owners to return stolen paintings if the owner has had possession of them for 30 years. The fact remains that Poland’s losses of its cultural heritage are incomparable to the damage Germany caused in other countries and the hundreds of thousands of works of art and cultural and religious objects have yet to be returned. A third reason is the 1945-1989 Communist period during which Soviet and Polish authorities largely suppressed artistic expression in the visual, literary, and performing arts.
The 35 paintings presented below are works by various artists, some of which are well-known among Poles, and some of which are not. Nevertheless, they represent Polish artistic creativity during a period when Poland did not exist and in what often was a repressive environment. The paintings are presented in chronological order and viewers are encouraged to further research those artists whose works they find interesting, thought-provoking, and inspiring.
