A new exhibition will soon open in London exploring the works and figures of the Young Poland cultural movement that emerged around the turn of 20th century.
The William Morris Gallery, which is hosting the exhibition, says that it will be the first major exhibition of the movement in the UK, featuring works most of which have not previously been exhibited outside of Poland.
The Young Poland (Młoda Polska) movement developed at a time when Poland had been effectively wiped off the map of Europe, partitioned between the empires of Russia, Austria and Prussia from the late 18th century until the end of the First World War.
Art was seen as a means of preserving and fostering cultural heritage and national identity under occupation. The Young Poland movement – among whose best-known figures were Jacek Malczewski and Stanisław Wyspiański – focused on the themes of a national yearning for freedom, youth and novelty.
The movement started in southern Poland, around the city of Kraków and the foothills of the Tatra Mountains. The genre – which spanned visual arts, literature, music and drama – was inspired by folk traditions, craftsmanship and wildlife.
The exhibition at the William Morris Gallery in East London, Young Poland: An Arts and Crafts Movement (1890–1918), will open on 9 October. According to the organisers, the exhibition aims to reveal “strong stylistic and philosophical affinities” with the work of British figures William Morris and John Ruskin.
It will feature furniture, textiles and crafts – including paper cuttings and Christmas decorations – most of which have never travelled outside of Poland. A list of highlights is available on the exhibition’s website.
The 150 works will come from five galleries in Poland, including the National Museum in Kraków. The project is run in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute in London and co-financed by Poland’s culture ministry.
Britain’s first major exhibition on Young Poland is coming soon! The first to position Young Poland as an Arts & Crafts movement, revealing striking parallels with the work of Morris and Ruskin. With @MNKrk and @PLInst_London https://t.co/d6MsMPsk7W#YoungPoland #ArtsandCrafts pic.twitter.com/RhY9IJfTjA
— WilliamMorrisGallery (@WMGallery) September 15, 2021
Sections of the exhibition will focus on Wyspiański; Stanisław Witkiewicz, founder of the Zakopane Style; and Karol Kłosowski, who was “arguably the last Young Poland artist”.
There will also be displays of watercolours by the playwright Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and the works of the Kraków Workshops, a cooperative of artists and designers drawing on Young Poland themes.
Among the other artists, designers and craftspeople covered by the exhibition are Józef Czajkowski, Wojciech Jastrzębowski, Józefa Kogut, Bonawentura Lenart, Jacek Malczewski, Jan Matejko, Józef Mehoffer and Henryk Uziembło.
Main image credit: WMGallery/Twitter
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
