CAPTAINS OF ILLUSTRATION FROM POLAND
FRANKFURTER BUCHMESSE / FRANKFURT BOOKFAIR
16-20.10.2019
Long ago, before children had laptops, smartphones or even television, books were their first gateway to unknown worlds. It was through books that they discovered distant lands and galaxies, exotic animals, the work of doctors and firemen, the workings of aeroplanes or radars, the genius of Copernicus, Newton or Bach, Greek myths and Arab tales, urchins from Wilczków in Poland and Bullerby in Sweden, the stories of princes and kings, the history of the potato… and the list goes on.
It isn’t only stories that matter in books for young readers, but also images – illustrations, as adults call them, or pictures, as children themselves prefer to say. Pictures also hold the key to another unknown and mysterious world – the world of art. Of course provided they are good enough…
In Poland in the 1960s and 70s the pictures were excellent! Those days, which have been dubbed the golden age of Polish illustration, saw the activity of dozens of very talented designers. From this wealth we have chosen just six outstanding artists whose works, we hope, are representative of the high artistic quality of Polish illustration in those times.
Nor was it easy to select contemporary illustrators. We can add with some satisfaction: at last! For many years Polish book illustration had been in a state of profound crisis, first precipitated by the collapse of the communist economy and then by the invasion of trashy books that flooded Poland in the wake of the free-market revolution.
Luckily, the situation has changed for the better over the last decade. Small, independent publishing houses have sprung up, in many cases headed by courageous women braving the vicissitudes of a difficult market. Along with them has come a generation of young, talented artists who are successfully continuing the great tradition of the Polish school of illustration.
We are therefore showcasing both old masters and their contemporary successors. We hope that the exhibition will open up a new world for you, hitherto unfamiliar, but – we believe– worth delving into for the wonders it holds.
Organised by Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Exhibition curator – Jacek Friedrich
Coordination – Monika Brauntsch
Exhibition design – Grupa Gdyby
Graphic design – Marta Gawin
