Boznańska Year at the National Museum in Krakow

About the event

The year 2025 has been declared the Year of Olga Boznańska – one of the most outstanding Polish painters, whose work has become a permanent part of European art history. On the occasion of the 160th anniversary of her birth, the National Museum in Krakow has prepared a program of events to bring the life and achievements of the artist closer. Among the events are: - A show and exhibition presenting both Boznańska's most famous paintings and lesser-known sketches and personal memorabilia. - From April 15, one of the display cases in the Gallery of Artistic Crafts will be entirely devoted to memorabilia of the artist. - On September 5, the temporary exhibition "Boznańska. Intimately" will open, where you can see not only the painter's works but also her sketches, childhood drawings, and work tools. - A lecture dedicated to Olga Boznańska's portraits, allowing a deeper understanding of her work and place in art history. - A dance show inspired by the era in which the painter created. - Guided tours of the exhibition and city walks following the trail of this extraordinary artist. - An artistic walk inspired by Boznańska's work (details soon on the website). Thanks to this diversity of celebrations, the National Museum in Krakow wants not only to remind us of Boznańska but also to show her influence on culture and art to this day. EVENTS: 🎨 April 15, 2025 12:15, 13:15, 14:15 MNK Main Building - hall Olga Boznańska - happening from the series "Cracovia Danza: Ballet in the City" The program of the new happening "Olga Boznańska" from the series "Cracovia Danza: Ballet in the City" is dedicated to this great Polish painter, artist whose anniversaries we celebrate this year (160th anniversary of birth and 85th anniversary of death). The dance program presented by Cracovia Danza on this occasion refers to the repertoire of 19th-century salons in Krakow, Munich, and Paris. Wishing to remind and promote the figure of Olga Boznańska, it is based on the European heritage of 19th-century salon dances in which the artist danced. The program will feature the most fashionable dance forms of the time: - contredanse - cotillion - polka - waltz and lesser-known ones: - écossaise - bourrée - landler This panorama of 19th-century dances is associated with the cities where Olga Boznańska lived and created (Krakow, Munich, Paris). Concept, scenario, and choreography – Romana Agnel Choreography of Moniuszko's Polka – Leszek Rembowski Costumes – Monika Polak-Luścińska, Elżbieta Wójtowicz-Gularowska Performers: Cracovia Danza Ballet dancers under the direction of Romana Agnel Admission free More information: https://mnk.pl/wydarzenia/olga-boznanska-happening-z-cyklu 🖼️ April 16, 2025 18:00 - lecture: "How can one paint now, when Mrs. Boznańska makes such wonderful paintings?" – portraits of Olga Boznańska MNK Main Building, Al. 3-maja 1, AV room at the Samurais The words of Stanisław Wyspiański describing Olga Boznańska's youthful work – the portrait of her mother – became a kind of introduction to the international career of the woman-artist from Krakow. During the lecture, we will look not only at Boznańska's most famous portraits, the history of their creation, the mutual contacts between models and the artist, but above all at the way they were painted. Host: Urszula Kozakowska-Zaucha – art historian, curator at the National Museum in Krakow, curator of exhibitions mainly related to Young Poland art, including Olga Boznańska and Jacek Malczewski. The lecture is part of the series: Around Wyspiański, during which we will recall the most important events from the artist's life, themes, and works created for Krakow and glorifying it to this day. Admission free, reservation possible More information: https://mnk.pl/wydarzenia/jakze-tu-teraz-malowac-kiedy-pani-boznanska SHOW AND EXHIBITION 🗓️ from April 15, 2025 Gallery of Artistic Crafts, MNK Main Building Display of Olga Boznańska's memorabilia in the Gallery of Artistic Crafts An intimate display of Olga Boznańska's memorabilia is organized as part of the cyclical exchange of sensitive textile objects presented in the Gallery of Artistic Crafts. One of the display cases in the room dedicated to 19th-century material culture will be entirely dedicated to the artist. We will present an elegant dress, subtle in color and decoration. Also jewelry, fashion accessories, and photographs – these small items will be successively exchanged, which will diversify the exhibition during its duration. Despite the small size of this display, there will be no shortage of Olga Boznańska's works. These will not be portraits, but equally atmospheric floral compositions and a painterly study of an interior where the hero is not a person but a comfortable armchair. We will supplement the exhibition with tools she used – a palette and thin brushes with stiff bristles. The display will begin on April 15, 2025, on the 160th anniversary of the artist's birth, and will last for a year. Curator: Agnieszka Kwiatkowska 🖼️ From September 5 to November 2, 2025 Boznańska. Intimately MNK Main Building In the Year of Olga Boznańska, the National Museum in Krakow is planning an exhibition dedicated to the artist, showing her both as an excellent painter and telling the story of her life and everyday reality. For Olga Boznańska, educated in Munich and pursuing an artistic career in Paris, her hometown Krakow was an extremely important place. Throughout her life, she joyfully returned here, and at the same time left with relief. It was to Krakow, and to the National Museum, that a large part of the legacy from the artist's Paris studio was brought. Therefore, we feel obliged to recall Boznańska's life and artistic path. We want to refresh the knowledge of her work by presenting both already known works and those that have never, or for almost sixty years, been shown. These include paintings, as well as a rich collection of sketches, sketchbooks, youthful and childhood works showing Boznańska's artistic development. The exhibition will feature over sixty paintings – primarily her characteristic portraits, but also still lifes, landscapes, and a similar number of drawings, sketches, sketchbooks, and completely unknown and surprising childhood works. The exhibition will be complemented by memorabilia from Boznańska's everyday life – items she surrounded herself with daily: books, mirrors, purses, trinkets, figurines, playing cards, as well as outfits – including everyday creations and the apron used for painting. For the first time, family documents will also be presented, as well as a selection of letters, including those from Józef Czajkowski, who was important in her life. We want our exhibition to be not only a story about Boznańska – the artist, but also about Boznańska – the woman. We encourage you to come to our Museum not for Boznańska, but to Boznańska – to see and contemplate her work and get to know her everyday life. Curator: Urszula Kozakowska-Zaucha Coordinator: Katarzyna Myszor Exhibition designer: Marta Staszków See you there!