Permanent exhibitions are reopening at most museums, and some temporary or postponed exhibitions are also opening – it’s time to catch up on art!
In recent months, Cracovian museums and galleries have been doing all they could to give us access to culture, at least online. Perhaps, paradoxically, many of us spent the quarantine period discovering objects and collections we never knew existed? But nothing can ever replace experiencing art directly in an exhibition space, so let’s rediscover our city and its museums! As this edition of “Karnet” goes to print, the majority of permanent exhibitions have reopened and those that were interrupted or postponed due to the pandemic are also making a slow return. You will find the list of venues which have reopened in May on the following pages. In the coming weeks we are likely to hear about more reopenings, and remember that opening hours are subject to change – we will be publishing and updating the latest information on our website, www.karnet.krakow.pl. Make sure you remember safety when planning your visit – you will find the latest advice on each institution’s website, so make sure you familiarise yourself with it before you go. Restrictions include different opening hours, new rules for walking around galleries, closures of cloakrooms, compulsory masks and gloves and regular closures for disinfection. All institutions are also imposing strict limits on the numbers of visitors – and experiencing art is better without crowds anyway!
Treasures and miracles
One of the exhibitions which was interrupted by the pandemic was Treasures of the Piast Dynasty at Wawel Royal Castle, marking the 700th anniversary of the coronation of King Władysław Łokietek. It included priceless artworks loaned by museums, church treasuries and private collectors all over Poland. The exhibition was due to close in April; fortunately some of the artworks remained at Wawel for longer than planned, and they have been added to the permanent exhibition Crown Treasury and Armoury to 28 June. The presentation Return to the Treasures includes 24 masterpieces of mediaeval arts and crafts, including beautiful liturgical vessels funded by Casimir the Great (the last king of the Piast dynasty), memorabilia of St Kinga usually kept at the Poor Clare Nuns Convent in Stary Sącz and famous jewels from the Środa Śląska treasure trove from the collection of the National Museum in Wrocław.
Exhibitions such as Miracle of Light. Medieval Stained Glass in Poland, reopened at the National Museum in Krakow (to 26 July; breaking news: closed until further notice!), are once-in-a-lifetime events. The museum’s Main Building displays 77 stained glass windows made between the 12th and 16th century. They have been loaned by museum and private collections and churches and monasteries across Poland; the jewel in the crown of the exhibition are windows temporarily removed from the presbytery of St Mary’s Church in Kraków. Prof. Andrzej Szczerski, director of the National Museum in Krakow, explains: “The exhibition is pioneering in the history of Poland’s museums in terms of the value of the artworks, exhibition design and efforts made by the curators to prepare the items for display.” The exhibition also features embroideries, jewellery, documents, drawings, designs, prints and books from the period.
After admiring the mediaeval masterpieces, take a peek into the nearby “live” workshop at the Stained Glass Museum, which continues the more recent tradition of the S. G. Żeleński Stained Glass Studio, founded during the Young Poland movement.
Centenary of the birth of the Polish pope
2020 is designated as Year of Saint Pope John Paul II, marking the centenary of his birth on 18 May. Celebrations include the exhibition Shepherd at the Karol Wojtyła Archdiocesan Museum – the latest instalment of the permanent exhibition comprising his personal effects, memorabilia and gifts he received from the faithful. The narrative focuses on themes and issues he returned to throughout his life, from his days as humble priest to his time as head of the Church, such as mystery of vocation and priesthood, the beauty of liturgy, the bishop’s duties towards his archdiocese and homeland, understanding others, family, academia, apostolic succession, the connection to his predecessors Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha and Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak and saints of the Kraków Archdiocese, and the role of priests and bishops as shepherds.
The pope was accompanied by his personal photographer Adam Bujak for many years. The artist commemorated many historic moments, meetings between the Holy Father and the faithful and moments of quiet contemplation and prayer; he also frequently stressed that he had made it his life’s mission to document John Paul II’s life and work. He took tens of thousands of photos over the course of over forty years, starting from the first image of Karol Wojtyła being inducted as bishop at Wawel Cathedral in 1958. The exhibition Cardinal Karol Wojtyła in Adam Bujak’s Photographs, open from 19 June at the Arsenal of the Princes Czartoryski Museum, presents Cracovian themes in the Pope’s life, showing him as Metropolitan Bishop of Kraków, cardinal and finally Pope John Paul II visiting the city during his pilgrimages to Poland.
The MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art has prepared its own exhibition The Pope, showing himseen through the eyes of many artists and revealing unexpected aspects of his cult in pop culture (to 20 September).
Great beauty
The exhibition Plants and Animals. Atlases of Natural History in the Age of Linnaeus at the International Cultural Centre showcases the great beauty of nature through images created over the centuries by scholars, travellers and artists long before the development of photography (to 18 October). The presentation explores childlike fascination with nature, both the familiar and the exotic; it brings back memories of youthful dreams of faraway journeys and discoveries, and reveals the abundance of European feasts, encouraging reflection on contemporary agriculture. Josephine Bonaparte’s atlas of beautiful plants from all over the globe serves as inspiration for gardening pursuits… Next, let’s move to the Museum of Natural History which recently launched the exhibition Flying Jewels: Minerals and Insects – perhaps we will spot a beautiful butterfly, familiar from the albums?
Following the vision of the French empress’s romantic park, let’s take a peek in museum gardens: at the Museum of Archaeology, on Wawel Hill recalling the time of Queen Bona Sforza, and at branches of the National Museum: the Józef Mehoffer House and the Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum, which will host many of the National Museum’s educational activities from this summer.
If you’ve been missing greenery, head to the park by Celestat – one of the many recently reopened branches of the Museum of Krakow. After visiting the exhibition telling the story of Kraków’s Fowler Brotherhood, let’s follow the Defence Trail via Planty Park to the former city walls and the Barbican. And we can dream about journeying further afield at the exhibition Kraków’s Iron Roads at the Podgórze Museum (to 23 August).
Cracovian artists
Karol Wojtyła is not the only Cracovian patron of 2020: the monographic exhibition at MOCAK Roman Ingarden. Philosopher and Photographer (to 27 September) recalls the artist through the prism of his passion. Ingarden was a keen observer of the world around him; he created portraits, self-portraits and still lifes and photographed nature and architecture. The museum presents around 150 works created between 1940 and 1970, selected from the vast family collection donated to MOCAK’s archives. Additionally, the exhibitions Contemporary Models of Realism and Dialogue with Space, held as part of the latest MOCAK Collection, present works by dozens of artists.
Sticking with contemporary art, don’t miss the Bunkier Sztuki gallery, hosting a review of works by Adam Rzepecki – Cracovian artist with links to alternative culture and activities of the Łódź Kaliska group and Kultura Zrzuty (to 18 October). At the exhibition Old Rzepecki Looks at Young Rzepecki, the seventy-year-old author juxtaposes his works from between the 1960s and 1980s with art created in the wake of his recent illness and recovery which changed his outlook on life and art. For older visitors, the former part of the exhibition will be an opportunity to look back at their young years during the absurdist communist period…
Japanese style
The Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology presents two brand-new exhibitions. Born in Prague in 1870, the protagonist of the first – titled Like a Dream! Emil Orlik in Japan – was a member of art scenes in Vienna and Berlin and the Klimt Group, and the author of paintings, drawings, posters, stage sets, costumes, books, bookplates and, most notably, prints. Fascinated by Japanese woodcuts, recently discovered by European artists, he travelled to Japan to learn the techniques of ancient masters; his Japanese-inspired artworks are regarded as his finest. The exhibition at the Manggha Museum presents over a hundred prints, watercolours and drawings (to 15 October). The second exhibition, Araki/Tsujimura. On the Verge of Shadow, juxtaposes works by two highly controversial, individualist Japanese artists. Nobuyoshi Araki combines erotica and death, verging on the pornographic, setting new boundaries in photographic art of the 20th century. Shiro Tsujimura, seen as a rebel and a revolutionary at home, created traditional, understated ceramics which also made a mark on contemporary art. Artworks by these contemporary artists recall zen philosophy and, like traditional Japanese art, remind us of the transience of everything that surrounds us (to 25 October).
***
Most of the exhibitions listed here are open until autumn, but don’t leave it too late: more new presentations are launching soon, with the first exhibitions of Krakow Photomonth opening in June. And don’t forget the numerous events still being hosted online! (Dorota Dziunikowska)
