Heliograms by Nicolas Grospierre will be presented at a temporary exhibition in the Solomon Room at the Palace on the Isle. Created from the power of light, color, and matter, the works will fill the empty spaces left by the paintings of Marcello Bacciarelli, destroyed during World War II. 🌟 Admission: - Included in the pass for all Museum facilities: - 90 PLN - regular - 45 PLN - reduced - 65 PLN - adults with Large Family Card - Free admission for Members of the Friends of the Royal Łazienki Museum Club - Free entry: on Fridays 🎟️ Tickets: Available online and at the Museum's ticket offices in Podchorążówka, Old Orangery, and Kubicki Stables. 📅 When: September 12, 2025 – August 30, 2026 📍 Where: Palace on the Isle https://maps.app.goo.gl/g2HSmdZkk8JQmb3A7 The large-format paintings in the Solomon Room were created by Marcello Bacciarelli between 1788-1793 as part of King Stanisław August's iconographic program. On the walls and ceiling, the court painter depicted scenes from the history of the biblical King Solomon, from whom the majestic interior takes its name. The depictions of the life of the wise Old Testament ruler had a symbolic dimension—they were a manifesto of royal reforms and aspirations. A good ruler, as was believed at the time, should, like Solomon, govern not only with the virtue of wisdom and the justice derived from it but also care for the country's prosperity and maintain peace. Stanisław August, taking the biblical ruler as his model, sought to achieve similar goals. The depiction of the Temple of Jerusalem, to which Solomon proceeds with a procession carrying the Ark, symbolized the May 3rd Constitution—the greatest achievement of Stanisław August's reign. Marcello Bacciarelli's paintings also contained a bitter self-reflection on the fate of the reform and the political situation on the eve of Poland's final partition. Both the ceiling and wall paintings in the Solomon Room were completely destroyed in a fire set by the Germans as they left the Royal Łazienki Palace in 1944. Since the 1960s, when the monument restored after wartime destruction was opened to the public, two large gilded frames, the ceiling, and the facet fields have remained empty. Heliograms in the Solomon Room After numerous debates among experts, including art historians and conservators, dedicated to the reconstruction of the Solomon Room's painted decorations, the Royal Łazienki Museum decided to invite contemporary artists to attempt to rediscover the artistic and ideological visions of Stanisław August. The project is initiated by works by Nicolas Grospierre. Changing under the influence of sunlight, the heliograms that will fill the empty spaces left by Marcello Bacciarelli's fire-destroyed paintings reflect, as the artist emphasizes, "both presence and absence, permanence and impermanence (...), serving as a bridge between the physical and the metaphysical, between what we see and what lies beyond the limits of our perception." These works are rich in symbolism on many levels, starting with the power of the sun, which created patterns on them when exposed to its rays in the Łazienki gardens. The heliograms are also the result of dialogue among various communities, both around and within the Museum. They combined the engagement of many individuals with the artist's brilliant visions. Nicolas Grospierre (b. 1975) An architectural photographer and artist who uses photography as a creative tool. He grew up in France and has lived in Poland since 1999. Before turning to photography, he studied political science and sociology in Paris and London. As a photographer, he focuses on documentary projects and is also interested in conceptual issues. In his documentary works, he often explores themes of collective memory and the hopes associated with modernist architecture, as its accompanying utopias have lost their strength and significance. In his conceptual works, he creates situations of play with the viewer, drawing them in with attractive, even sensual images and installations. For the exhibition "Hotel Polonia. Buildings Life After Life" (together with Kobas Laksa), he was awarded the Golden Lion at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2008. He is a laureate of the Polityka Passport (2012). His photographic publications include "Modern Forms. A Subjective Atlas of 20th Century Architecture" (2016) and "Modern Spaces. A Subjective Atlas of 20th Century Interiors" (2018), both published by Prestel Publishing, London. His works have been presented at exhibitions such as: "Lapis Mundi," Museum of the Earth, Warsaw, 2022; "King of the Alders," Starmach Gallery, Krakow, 2022; "LCAXN," Le Corbusier Foundation, Paris, 2021; "Subjective Atlas of Modernist Architecture," Fort Photography Institute, Warsaw, 2019; "The Best Possible City," Architektur Galerie, Munich, 2018; "The City That Doesn't Exist," Pereswietov Gallery Pereulok, Moscow, 2018; "Todo Palidece ante el Libro," Centro de Arte Alcobendas, Madrid, 2017; "Heliosophia," Alarcon Criado Gallery, Seville, 2017; "Modern Forms," Architectural Association, London, 2016; "Glass in the Eye," BWA Warsaw, 2014; "Oval Cabinets," State Art Gallery, Sopot, 2013; "The City That Doesn't Exist," Bunkier Sztuki, Krakow, 2012; "One Thousand Doors, No Exit," Graham Foundation, Chicago, 2011.
