Muzeum Sztuki, or the Museum of Art in à Âódà º, is a museum of modern and contemporary art in à Âódà º, Poland, whose main goal is to research and display the history of avant-garde art, with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Founded in 1931, Muzeum Sztuki became the first museum in Europe and the second museum in the world (after The Museum of Modern Art in New York) dedicated to collecting and showcasing modern art.
The museum opened to the public on 15 February 1931 as the International Collection of Modern Art, organized by several Polish avant-garde artists associated with the a.r. group, including Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski, Katarzyna Kobro and Henryk Staà ¼ewski, among others. The early collection encompassed a diverse range of avant-garde styles such as Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, Formism, and Unism. The museum's early years in the 1930s saw expansion under director Marian Minich, enriching the collection with Polish modern art. Following the end of World War II and the imposition of Stalinism in Poland, the museum remained under Minich's directorship and moved to the Poznaà Âski family palace in 1948. The same year, the Neoplastic Room, an experimental exhibition space designed to display avant-garde art, was opened at the museum. The institution was nationalized and the museum's name changed to Muzeum Sztuki in 1950.
During the 1950s, in the wake of the Khrushchev Thaw, the museum returned to a more robust international program, collaborating with Western gallerists and artists such as Denise René and Michel Seuphor, among others. This approach developed further under the directorship of Ryszard Stanisà Âawski who led the institution between 1966 and 1990. Notable contributions included a donation of selected works by the German artist Joseph Beuys in 1981 and an artistic exchange with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles organized in 1982. The museum later acquired the Edward Herbst Palace and planned for new developments in the former Izrael Poznaà Âski factory. Currently, the institution consists of three branches: ms<sup>1</sup>, ms<sup>2</sup> and Herbst Palace Museum (Polish: Muzeum Paà Âac Herbsta). In 1998 Muzeum Sztuki in à Âódà º was entered into the Polish National Register of Museums under number 53.
Muzeum Sztuki in à Âódà º is primarily focused on studying and displaying the collection of 20th and 21st century art in a variety of contexts, as well as on providing progressive artistic interventions and enhancing the role of art as element of social life, e.g., through educational activities.
Its programme coincides with avant-garde project worked out at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s by the âÂÂa.r.â group or, more precisely, by Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski, Katarzyna Kobro and Henryk Staà ¼ewski) and with the idea developed by Ryszard Stanisà Âawski (Muzeum's director in 1966âÂÂ1992) of a âÂÂmuseum as a critical instrumentâÂÂ. These ideas are further expanded in the assumption, according to which a museum is capable of re-defining and updating notions pertaining to art and culture and establishing social relations with the involvement of art. Through exhibition, research, educational and publishing programme, the Muzeum strives to practice the idea of art as a way to experience, feel and understand the reality, which was a part of avant-garde dream of creative life available to all.
Muzeum Sztuki was established as a result of reorganisation of à Âódà º museums in 1930. The core of its collection is based on works of modern art collected in Poland and abroad by the a.r. group in the period 1929âÂÂ1932 and supplemented until 1938. The initiator and the main driving force behind the action of collecting the donations from artists was a painter and art theoretician Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski, actively supported by Katarzyna Kobro â a sculptor, Henryk Staà ¼ewski â painter, as well as Jan BrzÃÂkowski and Julian Przyboà  â poets.
The Collection in its ideological dimension reflects Strzemià Âski's artistic preferences, although its final shape was the product of the activities of many people, including Henryk Staà ¼ewski, Hans Arp and Michel Seuphor. It presents an overview of avant-garde strands and tendencies of the late 1920s and includes masterpieces of Abstractionists, such as Hans Arp and SophieTaeuber-Arp, Theo van Doesburg, Jean Gorin, Jean Helion, Vilmos Huszar, Henryk Staà ¼ewski or Georges Vantongerloo. The collection also includes artworks of artists representing Cubism (e.g., Fernand Léger, Louis Marcoussis), Futurism (Enrico Prampolini), Dada (Kurt Schwitters), Surrealism (Max Ernst, Kurt Seligmann), Formism (e.g., Leon Chwistek, Tytus Czyà ¼ewski), âÂÂpure formâ (Stanisà Âaw Ignacy Witkiewicz) or Unism (Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski). The collection was initiated by the artists and took shape as a result of their solidarity-based international initiative to donate works against any artistic divisions.
Originally, the museum was housed on the first floor of the former town hall at Liberty Square (Plac Wolnoà Âci) 1 and its full name read âÂÂThe J. and K. Bartoszewicz Municipal Museum of History and Artâ (named after Kazimierz Bartoszewicz, who donated his family collection of art to the city in the period 1928âÂÂ1930). The first exhibition opened on 13 April 1930 and this date is considered to mark the beginnings of what is today Muzeum Sztuki in à Âódà º. Avant-garde art from the collection of "a.r" group was made available to the public on 15 February 1931. In 1935 Dr. Marian Minich was appointed the director of the museum and already in the initial years he expanded the collection with works that have complemented the picture of Polish modern art with Polish Formists, the Lviv group of surrealists Artes, and representative works of Jankel Adler and Karol Hiller.
Immediately after World War II, Muzeum Sztuki acquired paintings of Alexej Jawlensky. Soon, the museum was transferred to one of the palaces of the Poznaà Âski family, in WiÃÂckowskiego 36, which since 1948 has been one of its locations. Marian Minich was re-nominated as a director. It was he who adapted rooms in the palace to the needs of the museum and invited Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski to cooperate, which resulted in the âÂÂNeoplastic Roomâ being added to the exhibition space. The collection of contemporary art was expanded with, inter alia, works by Jonasz Stern, Jerzy Nowosielski, and Alina Szapocznikow.
In 1950 the museum changed its name to Muzeum Sztuki (Museum of Art) in à Âódà º. The second director of the museum became Ryszard Stanisà Âawski, who headed the institution in the years 1966âÂÂ1991. His goal was to expand the international collection of modern and contemporary art. In his museum practice he accentuated the pivotal role of the âÂÂmuseum as a critical instrumentâ and preferred focusing the collection on phenomena that were perceived as open, creative and authentic. Stanisà Âawski's efforts led to the acquisition of the first painting from Roman Opaà Âka series of âÂÂcountedâ paintings (others were to follow), the collection of early works of Krzysztof Wodiczko, Mirosà Âaw Baà Âka, and representatives of Warsztat Form Filmowej (Film Form Workshop). Muzeum also received a collection of works by Czech artists acquired at the end of the Prague Spring (e.g. Jià ÂàKoláà Â). Mateusz Grabowski, owner of an avant-garde gallery in London, donated artworks representing British Pop Art and Op Art (e.g. Derek Boshier, Bridget Riley, and Pauline Boty). American artists (e.g. Sam Francis, Lawrence Weiner, Barbara Kasten, and Chris Burden) bestowed their works in exchange for artworks of Polish artists. The collection of works from the first Construction in Process (Polish: Konstrukcja w Procesie) festival donated by âÂÂSolidarityâ (e.g. Peter Downsbrough, Dan Graham, and Richard Nonas) enriched the representation of minimal art.
In a symbolic gesture of solidarity with Polish society, Joseph Beuys donated ca. 300 artworks from his archives within the framework of âÂÂPolentransport 1981âÂÂ.
Insufficient exhibition space was a permanent problem of the Muzeum. In the early 1970s a tender was advertised for the construction of a new building for the museum but the project has never been successfully accomplished due to the economic crisis. In 1973 the museum acquired an industrialist's mansion Edward Herbst Palace in KsiÃÂà ¼y Mà Âyn (Priest's Mill). Prospects of having a building that could meet exhibition requirements of avant-garde art became real with plans to develop the Manufaktura Shopping and Entertainment Centre in the former Izrael Poznaà Âski factory.
In 2006 Jarosà Âaw Suchan was appointed the director of the museum and he has been holding the post ever since. Funds acquired from the European Union (under the Integrated Regional Development Operational Programme), the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Voivodeship Office, and the Marshal Office in à Âódà º were used to regenerate and modernise the former spinning mill in the factory of Izrael Poznaà Âski. In the autumn 2008 it became a new location of Muzeum Sztuki known as ms<sup>2</sup> offering the space of 3000 m<sup>2</sup>, which houses the Collection of the 20th and 21st Century Art; further 600 m<sup>2</sup> are dedicated to temporary exhibitions.
The collection is exhibited in a way that departs from both the chronological arrangement of works of art and the idea of a âÂÂpermanent exhibitionâÂÂ. New exhibition projects, whose aim is to uncover the potential of the collection anew, are underway within the framework of âÂÂworks on the collectionâÂÂ. According to the programme: avant-garde is not treated as a closed chapter that belongs to the past but as a set of ideas, which may still be meaningful to a contemporary viewer. Muzeum Sztuki introduces the audience to contemporary and avant-garde art in locations at ms<sup>2</sup> and ms<sup>1</sup>. In the years 2011-2013 exhibition space in the building in WiÃÂckowskiego was refurbished. Edward Herbst villa that holds Old Masters Collection was also renovated in 2013.
ms<sup>1</sup>, WiÃÂckowskiego 36 (Maurycy Poznaà Âski palace) â with Neoplastic Room designed by Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski, which was the core of the exposition of âÂÂa.r.â group International Collection of Modern Art. In 2008 the collection moved to the premises of ms<sup>2</sup>, while the Neoplastic Room itself was left in its original place and the space around it is used to display works by contemporary artists, who make references to the Constructivism legacy within the project âÂÂNeoplastic Room Open CompositionâÂÂ. In ms<sup>1</sup> at two floors of exhibition space we can find temporary exhibitions that show interesting phenomena in contemporary art. The garden in the backyard is used for open air events, such as film shows and concerts. The building houses also a coffee shop and a library open to all visitors.
ms<sup>2</sup>, Ogrodowa 19 (building of the former spinning mill of Izrael Poznaà Âski factory) â facilities used for experimental interventions with the Collection of 20th and 21st century. The Museum's collection is organized around themes that exhibition curators consider relevant to modern audience. Space at the ground floor is used for temporary exhibitions that tackle mainly the issues connected with the avant-garde legacy. In the building there are rooms for workshops and other educational activities, as well as a multi-media room, which hosts, inter alia, lectures and film shows. There is also a coffee shop âÂÂAwangardaâ and a bookshop selling books on art.
Herbst Villa, PrzÃÂdzalniana 72 (Edward Herbst palace and garden complex) â a refurbished mansion formerly owned by a family of à Âódà º industrialists has become the exhibition space for old masters works (mainly those of the 19th century), presentation of palace interiors from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and the overview of the history of the Herbst family of industrial tycoons.
The collection includes paintings, sculptures and spatial objects, drawings, photographs, video, and installations. It is the largest and the oldest museum collection of modern art in this part of Europe. The collection of Muzeum Sztuki in à Âódà º was initiated by the members of the âÂÂa.r.â group: Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski, Katarzyna Kobro, Henryk Staà ¼ewski, Julian Przyboà Â, and Jan BrzÃÂkowski, who since 1929 had been involved in collecting modern art. It was made available to the public for the first time in February 1931 at the original seat of the museum in Wolnoà Âci Square [Polish: Plac Wolnoà Âci]. After 1945 the collection has been being supplemented predominantly with the works by contemporary artists.
The collection includes artworks by artists, such as: Max Ernst, Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski, Katarzyna Kobro, Kurt Schwitters, Kazimierz Podsadecki, Enrico Prampolini, Janusz Maria Brzeski, Teresa à »arnower, Mieczysà Âaw Szczuka, Wà Âodzimierz Borowski, Derek Boshier, Christian Boltanski, Joseph Beuys, Bridget Riley, Alina Szapocznikow, Ewa Partum, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Edward Krasià Âski, Ali Kazma, Barbara Hammer, Agnieszka Kalinowska, Zofia Kulik, Jadwiga Maziarska, Erna Rosenstein, Jadwiga Sawicka, Ahlam Shibli, Mladen StilinoviÃÂ, Mona VÃÂtÃÂmanu & Florin Tudor, Haegue Yang, Konrad Smoleà Âski, Cezary Bodzianowski, Zbigniew Libera, Artur à »mijewski, Julita Wójcik, Antje Majewski, and Allan Sekula.
Opened on 24 February 2014 in ms<sup>2</sup>, a division of Muzeum of Art in à Âódà º, is an overview of the collection featuring works by artists active in the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibition occupies three floors in the premises owned by Muzeum Sztuki located in the shopping and entertainment centre Manufaktura in à Âódà º. It covers in total 2700 m<sup>2</sup>, where the visitors may see more than 200 exhibits whose number changes depending on the exhibition projects hosted in this space.
âÂÂAtlas of Modernityâ is another stage in the works on Muzeum Sztuki in à Âódà º collection that have been continued since 2008 and âÂÂwhose goal is to research, re-interpret and update the meaning of artworks included in the collection.â The exhibition refers to the idea of art historian Aby Warburg and his project âÂÂMnemosyne AtlasâÂÂ, it departs from both the chronological arrangement of works of art and the idea of a âÂÂpermanent exhibitionâÂÂ. The exposition âÂÂhas given up typical linearity that organises museumâÂÂs collection against a timeline of art history and groups artworks into schools, trends, styles or tendencies.â Works focus around 14 notions connected with the idea of modernity: âÂÂmuseumâÂÂ, âÂÂautonomyâÂÂ, âÂÂcapitalâÂÂ, âÂÂmachineâÂÂ, âÂÂcityâÂÂ, âÂÂprogressâÂÂ, âÂÂexperimentâÂÂ, âÂÂpropagandaâÂÂ, âÂÂnormâÂÂ, âÂÂtraditionâÂÂ, âÂÂcatastropheâÂÂ, âÂÂmeâÂÂ, âÂÂemancipationâÂÂ, and âÂÂrevolutionâÂÂ; âÂÂcreating a âÂÂcollageâ of artworks from different periods representing different aesthetics and artistic attitudes around these notions; the exhibition poses questions about how the phenomena changed, how the way they were perceived altered and, most importantly, to what extent they shape our today's reality.âÂÂ
The exhibition has been prepared by a curatorial team headed by Jarosà Âaw Suchan, the MuzeumâÂÂs director, and composed of: Aleksandra Jach, Paulina Kurc-Maj, Maria Morzuch, Anna Saciuk-Gàsowska, Joanna Sokoà Âowska, Katarzyna Sà Âoboda, and Magdalena Zióà Âkowska.
The Collection is a representative selection of artworks by Polish artists, in particular of the 19th and the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, including some masterpieces of Polish painting such as: âÂÂPortrait of the ArtistâÂÂs Motherâ (1853) by Henryk Rodakowski, âÂÂNapoleon on Horsebackâ by Piotr Michaà Âowski, âÂÂSleeping Mietekâ by Stanisà Âaw Wyspiaà Âski, and âÂÂSobieski in CzÃÂstochowaâ by Jan Matejko.
One of the objectives behind the idea of collection efforts initiated by âÂÂa.r.â group and further continued by the Muzeum was to disseminate knowledge about art and to present the achievements of avant-garde art to the largest audiences possible. The Muzeum accomplishes this goal through, inter alia, cooperation with other museums in the world, publishing activities, education effort (workshops, lectures, guided tours), and its media presence (in cooperation with TVP kultura TV channel, Muzeum Sztuki creates âÂÂKulturanekâ [Cultural Morning] - a series of programmes on art addressed to young audience).
Project âÂÂms opusâ is the effect of cooperation between Muzeum Sztuki and Opus Film film production company â it documents exhibitions and presents artists and curators. Video recordings from exhibitions available on the Internet have enabled wide audiences to learn more about Muzeum's exhibition projects.
ms club is a membership programme intended to attract a community of visitors and sponsors, which is also a kind of subscription that offers free admission to exhibitions and events. Two types of membership cards are currently available: MS CLUB and MS CLUB STUDENT.
The award is given by Muzeum Sztuki in recognition of the patronage extended to the Muzeum, its promotion or any other form of active support to its interests in Poland and abroad. It is awarded to institutions, companies, representatives of the media, and private persons as a token of gratitude for their engagement and promotion of active attitudes in culture in the preceding year.
Previous winners of the ms Award:
The idea of the Katarzyna Kobro Prize annually awarded by artists to an artist they wish to honour originates from Józef Robakowski with initial involvement of the late Nika Strzemià Âska, daughter of Katarzyna Kobro and Wà Âadysà Âaw Strzemià Âski. The Prize is intended to pay tribute to artists representing progressive and exploratory stance, open to creative intellectual exchange who are involved in initiating cultural events. Until 2011 the Prize was awarded by Wschodnia Gallery [Polish: Galeria Wschodnia], however, in 2011 Dariusz Bieà Âkowski (the founder of the prize) and Józef Robakowski moved it to Muzeum Sztuki in à Âódà º. The Katarzyna Kobro Prize is awarded every December by a college of representatives of various genres of art.