Zachęta Art Gallery is searching for a painting
Zachęta National Gallery of Art is searching for a canvas by Eligiusz Niewiadomski, painted in 1895, titled Christ (or Christ in Ogrójec). The dimensions of the painting are approximately 60 x 80 cm. The canvas has been sold in the summer of 2007 by Rempex Auction House, catalogue number 249.
The piece was supposed to form part of the Goshka Macuga.Untitled exhibition planned to open on November 28th 2011.
Another painting recovered after 66 years
A 1903 painting „Graveyard of the Reformer Fathers in Cracow” by Józef Czajkowski, which was most probably stolen from the Silesian Museum in Katowice during World War II, and since then considered a war loss, has been recovered. Apart from the painting several others works of art have been found. They are now being examined by specialists from the National Museum in Szczecin. As soon as the proceedings end Czajkowski's painting will return to the Museum in Katowice - after 66 years
In July 2011 the Polish National Police in Szczecin received a notice from a 56 year old woman claiming that she had been robbed by a member of her family. She stated that a significant number of paintings, porcelain, silver and other works of art belonging to her husband have been stolen. The woman provided the police with a DVD containing pictures of the all the works of art which remained in the possession of her husband.
When it occurred that the paintings in the photos have museum signatures they have been send over to the National Police Headquarters, and later to governmental institutions dealing with art theft. After a few days the employees of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in charge of the war losses register, informed the police that one of the paintings in the DVD might have been stolen from the Silesian Museum in Katowice.
After receiving the information from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Voivodeship Heritage Conservator issued a notice regarding the stolen painting i.a.. The prosecutor issued a search warrant to secure the whole collection based on the suspicion of the works of art being acquired illegally. During the search it was established that Antoni M., in order to hide his collection build a two storey concrete bunker with sliding walls and numerous hiding spots where he kept his collection. He would never allow anybody to enter, even members of his family.
Antoni M. had stored a collection of items of high artistic and historical value. Most of them are in bad state due to the dust and humidity in the bunker. His collection comprised of paintings from different periods, including the Renaissance. One painting is dated 1532.
The whole collection has been secured by the employees of the Voivodeship Heritage Conservator in Szczecin, the Institute of National Heritage and the specialists of the National Museum in Szczecin, and later transferred to the National Musuem in Szczecin.
The policemen of the investigation unit of the National Police Force in Szczecin confirmed, that the recovered painting „Graveyard of the Reformer Fathers in Cracow” by Józef Czajkowski, painted in 1903, is the painting which has been sought for by polish authorities and considered a warloss. The identification numbers of the Silesian Museum in Katowice retained on the back of the painting. Czajkowski's paintings reach a value of several thousand zlotys on art auctions.
Because the matter concerns a war loss, a separate investigation is being conducted by the prosecutor of the Institute of National Remambrance in Szczecin. As soon as the proceedings come to an end, the painting shall return to the museum in Katowice - after 66 years. The police together with the public prosecutor's office are establishing the provenance of each work of art. The collection is being examined by specialists of the National Museum in Szczecin. Photos of each artwork have been send to the National team for crimes against the preservation of national heritage of the National Police Force, the National Institute of Museology and Collections Protection, National Heritage Institute, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Interpol and other agencies dealing with lost works of art. The photos of italian paintings and graphic works are being analyzed by a group of carabinieri in Rome, aiming to establish the paintings provenance. The investigation is being conducted by the regional public prosecutor's office Szczecin-Zachód in Szczecin.
(Source: National Police Unit in Szczecin/js)„Liber de natura rerum” („On the nature of things”) – returned to the Library of the University of Wroclaw
The manuscript is a 15th century copy of a work titled „Liber de natura rerum”, written around the years 1230-1245 by Thomas Cantimpratensis (1201-1272), a writer, preacher, and theologian. In this enormous encyclopedia, comprising of twenty books, Thomas Cantimpratensis compiled the natural history knowledge of his time, including zoology, botany, mineralogy, anthropology, astronomy, astrology, and meteorology. The first volumes are dedicated to the knowledge of the human; in the first Cantimpratensis, basing on the works of Galen and Aristotle, presents the human anatomy, in the subsequent volume the author concentrates on the human soul. The successive volumes are dedicated to the human beasts living in the East (he refers to mythical creatures, not our ancestors), in the following he presents the compilation of knowledge on all animals, plants, metals, minerals, planets etc. known to human in the Medieval ages.
The Encyclopedia became one of the main sources of knowledge in medieval Europe. The author included information on animals such as: elk, bison, beaver, inhabiting the territory of our country, followed by opinions regarding them, from people the author knew, most probably merchants and students from middle – eastern Europe, residing in Paris.
The manuscript formed part of the collection of the library of a Wroclaw patrician Tomas Rediger (died in 1576). From the middle of 17th century the collection had been made accessible in Saint Elizabeths church, and in the middle of the 19th century it became one of the pillars of the newly created City Library in Wroclaw.
In fear of bombing, in the autumn of 1943, the most valuable items of the library, including „Liber de natura rerum”, have been evacuated from Wroclaw i.a. to the Ramfeld palace (later called Ramułtowice), where the manuscript was stolen from.
After the war a well known collector came into the possession of the manuscript. It has been recovered thanks to the exquisite cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Sotheby's auction house in New York and London. The manuscript has been returned to the Library of the University of Wroclaw, which is the legal successor of the City Library. „Liber de natura rerum” is the third manuscript from the same collection recovered thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2005 a breviary (dated 1st half of the 15th century) returned to Poland from London, and in 2009, a 15th century missal, was recovered in New York and later transferred to Poland.
Source: MSZ, Gazeta Wyborcza
Two Julian Falat paintings, looted during World War II, will return to Poland in a few days
„The Battue Hunt at Nieśwież” and „Before Going Hunting in Rytwiany” both lotted during World War II – are headed back to their homeland, due to the New York court ruling of August 16th. The paintings are scheduled to be handed over on September 22nd, during an official visit of the President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski and the Minister of Culture, Bogdan Zdrojewski to the United States.
The paintings were stolen from the collection of the Society of the Encouragement of Fine Arts during World War II. In 2006 the Polish government learned that the two paintings were being offered for sale by two New York auction houses. The Polish Ministry of Culture, through the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, contacted the U.S. government for help in seizing them. The expertise and documentation collected left no doubt regarding the painting provenience. After four years of tough negotiations the Polish Ministry of Culture managed to establish cooperation with the federal investigation agency - the Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Homeland Security Investigations (ICE). On December 14th 2010 the paintings were seized by the ICE and deposited at the Agency, where they have remained until the closing of the case. Due to the significant role that two ICE agents Bonnie Goldblatt and Lennis Barrois Jr. have played in the successful closing of the case, the polish minister of culture Bogdan Zdrojewski honored them with an „Order for Merit of the Republic of Poland”.
Julian Fałat (1853-1929), The Battue Hunt at Nieśwież,1891, watercolor, 65 x 176 cm
The watercolor „The Battue Hunt at Nieśwież”, known also as „The Hunt”, is one of a series of Fałat's paintings of hunting escapades in the belorussian forests, owned by the Radziwiłł princes. The painting of high gallery value is said to be critical in the artists career. The first owner of the painting Ludwik Norblin, turned it over (together with 11 other paintings) to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1914. The painting remained part of the Society's collection until the break of World War II.
Julian Fałat (1853-1929), „Before Going Hunting in Rytwiany”, before 1901, oil on canvas, 50 x 150 cm
The canvas depicts Fałat's most popular theme. It's creation is connected with the artists stay in the estate of count Potocki in the Kielce Voivodeship in the mid 90's of the 19th century.
In 1904 the canvas was purchased by the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw. In 1939, after the building had been seized by the Germans, the painting was transferred to the National Museum in Warsaw. It was probably lost in 1944. The only thing that remained was the original frame.
Source: MKiDN„A Jewess with Oranges” already at the museum
On July 27th 2011, during a press conference, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, solemnly handed over an Aleksander Gierymski painting „A Jewess with Oranges” to the director of the National Museum in Warsaw, Agnieszka Morawińska.
Due to the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and thanks to the financial support of the PZU SA (Common Insurance Institution) after several years the painting „A Jewess with Oranges” by Aleksander Gierymski returned to it's homeland.
Until the break of World War II, the painting remained part of the gallery of polish paintings at the National Museum in Warsaw. It was probably looted in 1944 soon after the Warsaw Uprising. Since that time, the fate of the painting remained unknown.
Since 1945 the canvas was being searched for by the polish side. In 2010 it emerged on the antique market in northern Germany. Thanks to the immediate intervention of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Bogdan Zdrojewski the painting was withheld from sale.
Both, the authenticity and the provenience of the canvas were confirmed by experts from the National Museum in Warsaw. In December 2010, a law firm from Berlin, on behalf of the the Ministry, began to process of negotiations with the current owners, regarding the returning the masterpiece to Poland. Until the negotiations had been concluded in July 2011, the painting remained in a bank deposit box. By virtue of the settlement, the painting has been handed over to the polish side and transferred to the National Museum in Warsaw on July 15th. It shall undergo conservation, and than it shall be displayed to the public. All costs connected to the recovery of the painting and it's conservation were covered by PZU S.A. (Source: MKiDN)
The Aleksander Gierymski painting „A Jewess with Oranges”, has been shown twice to the public, as part of the Lost Museum collection, during the Night of the Museums, in 2010 and 2011.
The presentation of lost works during the Night of the Museums and on the project's website allows us to restore the collective memory of the wartime losses and as a result of these actions retrieve them.
Paradoxically, when one the the formerly lost works is found, the collection of the Lost Museum „declines”, but simultaneously the national artwork collection benefit from it. But what is most important is the fact that we may finally see the works with our own eyes, admire their splendor, lively color scheme, analyze the details, we have the possibility to immerse in its universe.
Memory of the World – thoughts after the conference
The Forth International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme was held between May 18th and May 21st, 2011 in Warsaw. Poland hosted an international meeting of such a significant importance to the programme for the third time, after having organised the First Meeting of the International Advisory Committee in Pułtusk (1993) and the Sixth Meeting in Gdańsk (2003). This years conference provided the opportunity for reflection, in a wider context, upon the actions undertaken in the framework of the Programme and the course of its development as well as the role of documentary heritage and collective memory in the face of social processes which take place in the contemporary world. The conference was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, and organised by the Head Office of the State Archives, the Polish National Commission for UNESCO and the National Cultural Centre, within the scope of work of the National Committee for the Memory of the World Programme in cooperation with the UNESCO Communication and Information Sectors. Over 200 guests from 71 countries participated in the conference. The most significant outcome of the conference is a draft program document, named the Warsaw Declaration together with the adjoined Recommendations. The document emphasises the importance of documentary heritage for the preservation of collective memory in different cultural circles and among other things, postulates the development of the Memory of the World Programme in order to grant the documentary heritage a status analogical to the ones borne by other kinds of mankind's heritage. The most renown instrument on which the Memory of the World Programme acts is the international register, created since 1997. Every two years, on application of the IAC, the General Director of UNESCO enters new documentary heritage objects in the register. In order for the objects to qualify to be entered, they must fulfil authenticity criteria and the criteria of global influence, described by a series of detailed criteria („time”, „place”, „people”, „item and theme”, „form and style”, „social/spiritual/community influence”) . As a country particularly affected by war losses of documentary heritage, Poland plays an active part in the Memory of the World Programme, since it's establishment. Ten items of documentary heritage nominated by Poland have been listed in the register: Archives of the Literary Institute in Paris [Maisons-Laffitte], Twenty-One Demands made by the Strike Committee in August 1980 in Gdansk (Sierpień 1980) together with the collection The Birth of Solidarity, which remains in the KARTA Institute, recently entered Archive of the Office for Restoration of the Capital (BOS), the underground archives of the Warsaw ghetto (Ringelblum Archive), Fryderyk Chopin's manuscripts that are part of the holdings of the National Library and the Fryderyk Chopin Society in Warsaw (currently as National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin), Radzwills' Archives and Niasvizh (Nieśwież) Library Collection (a request placed jointly by Belarus, Finland, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine), Archive of the National Education Committee (collection remains in the PAU Scientific Library and Polish Academy of Science in Cracow, AGAD in Warsaw, Jagiellonian University Archive, and the Prices Chartoryski Foundation by the National Museum in Cracow), the act of the Confederation of Warsaw of 1573, the manuscript of Nicolaus Copernicus' masterpiece De revolutionibus, Codex Suprasliensis (mutual register with Slovenia and Russia). All works concerning the polish nominations for the Register are coordinated by the National Committee of the Memory of the World Programme in cooperation with the Polish National Commission for UNESCO, heritage institutions and experts. Tomasz Komorowski (full text may be found in the Polish National Commission for UNESCO Bulletin. Warsaw 2011, pages 38-39 and 40 i 53)
Już wkrótce dwa zaginione obrazy Juliana Fałata powrócą z USA do Polski?!
W trakcie ostatniej wizyty ministra Bogdana Zdrojewskiego w Nowym Jorku w maju 2011 roku zostały poruszone również kwestie związane ze zwrotem obrazów Juliana Fałata (1853 – 1929), jednego z najwybitniejszych polskich akwarelistów, stanowiących polską stratę wojenną.
Trudne negocjacje toczą się już kilka lat, w 2006 roku na wniosek MKiDN oraz za pośrednictwem Konsulatu Generalnego RP w Nowym Jorku dwa obrazy Juliana Fałata zostały wycofane z aukcji. Przeprowadzone ekspertyzy jak i zebrana dokumentacja potwierdziły proweniencję obrazów. Obrazy zostały utracone w czasie II wojny światowej przez Warszawskie Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych. Stosunkowo niedawno udało się nawiązać współpracę z Immigration&Customs Enforcement, instytucją która zatrzyma obrazy w depozycie do momentu wyjaśnienia wszystkich spraw dotyczących ich powojennych losów.
Akwarela „Nagonka na polowaniu w Nieświeżu” jest jednym z cyklu obrazów związanych z polowaniami, określana jako przełomowa w twórczości artysty ze względu na wysoką galeryjną wartość artystyczną. Pierwszym właścicielem obrazu był Ludwik Norblin, który w 1914 roku przekazał go wraz z 11 innymi obrazami do towarzystwa Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych w Warszawie gdzie dzieło znajdowało się do wybuchu II wojny
światowej.
Obraz „Przed polowaniem w Rytwianach”, też należący do cyklu polowań związany jest z pobytem artysty w majątku hr. Potockich na kielecczyźnie w l.90 XIX w.
Źródło: MKiDNDama z gronostajem Leonarda da Vinci najcenniejszym eksponatem wystawy „Polska. Skarby i kolekcje artystyczne, czyli Złote czasy Rzeczpospolitej” otwartej 1 czerwca w pałacu Królewskim w Madrycie.
Wystawa będzie czynna do 4 września 2011, będzie towarzyszyła polskiemu przewodnictwu w UE. Honorowy patronat nad wystawą objęli Prezydent RP Bronisław Komorowski i król Hiszpanii Juan Carlos.
„Dama z gronostajem” albo „Dama z łasiczką” to ten sam obraz, jeden z czterech portretów kobiecych, namalowany najprawdopodobniej pomiędzy rokiem 1483 a 1490 przez Leonarda da Vinci, genialnego artystę epoki renesansu. Portret, wykonany w tech. olejnej z użyciem tempery na desce orzechowej (wym.: 54,7 x 40,3 cm) przedstawia Cecylię Gallerani, damę dworu i ukochaną księcia Lodovico Sforzy. Portret młodej kobiety w stroju hiszpańskim trzymającej na rękach gronostaja jest symbolicznym przedstawieniem głębokiej uczuciowej więzi łączącej damę i księcia. Gronostaj, nawiązując do antycznej tradycji jest symbolem macierzyństwa, w sposób symboliczny wskazuje na stan odmienny sportretowanej. Losy obrazu nie są do końca znane. Nie wiemy, co się z nim działo pomiędzy śmiecią Cecylii Gallerani a zakupem przez księcia Adama Jerzego Czartoryskiego w roku 1880. Dopiero dwa ostatnie stulecia – od czasu przywiezienia Damy z łasiczką do Polski na początku XIX wieku umożliwiają prześledzenie historii dzieła. Obraz został zakupiony przez księcia dla matki, Izabeli Czartoryskiej i wystawiony w Domku Gotyckim w Puławach. W czasie powstania listopadowego wywieziono obraz do Paryża skąd został sprowadzony ok. 1880 r. do powstającego wówczas, w Krakowie Muzeum Czartoryskich. W czasie okupacji niemieckiej służył jako dekoracja wawelskiej rezydencji Hansa Franka, następnie wywieziony do Niemiec, skąd w 1946 roku został ponownie sprowadzony do Krakowa. „Siostrzany” obraz „Damy z gronostajem”, „Portret młodzieńca” Leonarda da Vinci, utracony w tym samym czasie, pod koniec II Wojny Światowej, nie może być „najcenniejszym eksponatem wystaw” bo do dzisiaj nie został odnaleziony, chociaż na temat jego „aktualnego miejsca pobytu” napisano już dziesiątki stron. Źródlo: Gazeta WyborczaThe 4th International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.
The 4th International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme shall be held between 18 and 21 May 2011 in Warsaw. The honourable distinction of hosting the conference was granted to Poland in recognition of our involvement in the activities undertaken by UNESCO in the domain of protection of documentary heritage and making it accessible to general public. The event shall be held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland and is organized by the National Committee for the Programme. The General Director of the State Archives responsible for chairing the Committee invited the Polish National Commission for UNESCO, the Head Office of the State Archives and the National Cultural Centre to participate in the organisation of the conference.
The 4th International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme shall be held under the theme of "Culture – Memory – Identities". The conference shall provide the opportunity for reflection upon the actions undertaken in the framework of the Programme in a wider context of relations amongst cultures, memory, identity and the challenges of the contemporary world that are linked to these phenomena. The organizers wish to initiate a debate amongst the participants of the conference concerning the heritage of the humanity preserved in the form of documents, to the intangible heritage and cultural diversity. The list of speakers who agreed to present papers at the conference features some of the most prominent experts representing the scientific community and memory institutions from all parts of the world. The programme of the conference includes also an introductory lecture, plenary sessions and various panel debates held in parallel. Sessions shall be conducted in three languages: Polish, English and French. Interpreting services shall be provided by the organizers. A rich cultural programme shall accompany the conference. During their stay in Warsaw, the participants will have the opportunity to view Polish documentary objects listed in the International Register of the Programme at an outside exhibition that accompanies the conference, as well as directly, during their visit to four Warsaw institutions: the National Library, the Jewish Historical Institute, the Central Archives of Historical Records and the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Accompanying events shall also be organized, i.a. a guided tour of the Royal Castle in Warsaw and a screening of the film on the destruction of Warsaw in 1944. As the conference is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the participation in all accompanying events is free if charge. Source: 4conferencemow.plThe portrait of Anna and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz by Witkacy, stolen in 2005, was found in a basement of one of the apartment blocks in Łódź.
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, one of Poland's most important artist of the turn of the 20th century, painted the portrait of Anna and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz in 1922 in Zakopane. The oil painting (dimensions 75.5 cm x 96 cm) was Witkacy's wedding gift to the couple.
The canvas of an estimated worth of 450 thousand (zlotys) was stolen from the writers house in Stawisk near Warsaw in 2005,. During the robbery only this piece was stolen, so it is clear that the robbers were absolutely aware of the unique character of the painting. The painting is executed in oil, a technique atypical for Witkacy. Most of his portraits are pastel paintings. Moreover the portrait is interesting and valuable due to it's form. „The two protagonists were captured in a rectangular frame, and set against a fantastical, stylized landscape. They were situated asymmetrically, and they are both incomparable in style. They look as they were from two different worlds and two different artistic visions – one realistic, the other expressive – nevertheless the canvas is perfectly harmonised and balanced. The painting exemplifies the gender struggle issue, so eagerly taken up by the artist in many of his works.” The painting was recovered in may 2011 thanks to the intervention of the Central Investigation Bureau officers. The canvas was found in a basement in an apartment block at Tatrzańska Street in Łódź, owned by a member of an organised crime group. „Witkacy was most probably used as a means of settling accounts between mob squads, as a payment for debts or as some kind of pledge.” The closest to the original, colour wise, is a picture of the painting presented on the internet site of the Musuem in Stawisk: www.stawisko.pl Source: wyborcza.pl
