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2006
St. Petersburg architecture of XX century
t. Petersburg architecture of XX century
The exhibition “Petersburg architecture of XX century” is organized by Russian News and Information Agency “RIA Novosti”, Foundation “Culture and Arts over the Boards” and Embassy of Russia in Poland.
The capital of Poland is the last stage of journey of this unique exhibition. It has been traveling around the country for more than a year.
Pictures present the XX century architecture of St. Petersburg, where tradition interlaces with modern times and monuments have become an organic part of the city.
Founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 as a “window to Europe”, Petersburg has become one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You can admire this wonderful city in the presented pictures.
We are inviting you to visit our exhibition and get acquainted with the architecture of this fascinating city!
Warsaw - Budapest 1956
Warsaw - Budapest 1956
21st October - 30th November 2006
The exhibition, entitled "Warsaw-Budapest 1956", was organised by the Council for the Protection of Memory of Combat and Martyrdom, the Embassy for the Republic of Hungary and the Historical Museum of Warsaw. The fiftieth anniversary of the events of October and November 1956 in Warsaw and Budapest is an excellent opportunity to remember these events.
The exhibition shows the protests of Poznań workers in June 1956, the October demonstrations in Warsaw (18-24.X), the Uprising in Budapest (X-XII), and the assistance from Polish society for the Hungarian insurgents. With the events of 1956 - a revolt against Stalinist terror and totalitarian power - once again linked the fate of Poland and Hungary together in history. Hungarians went onto the streets holding banners: "Poznań – Warsaw – Budapest”, and as a sign of solidarity with the Poles they gathered at the monument to Gen. Józef Bem, hero of the November uprising in the Duchy of Poland and the Hungarian uprising in 1848-1849. The Poles rushed to assist the uprising in Budapest - they organised collections of money, blood and medicines.
The events from half a century can be seen in the 50 photographs collected by the organisers. Furthermore, Polish articles on loan from the National Library will also be displayed (among others from "Głos Pracy", "Trybuna Ludu", "Sztandar Młodych", "Życie Warszawy" and "Po prostu"). The role of newspapers was not limited simply to providing news - the press was involved in coordinating support campaigns. The drama and atmosphere of those days are reflected in the accounts of Polish participants of the Hungarian Uprising and archive recordings of broadcasts by Polish Radio, which one will be able to hear at the exhibition. The authors of the exhibition have also prepared a board with an excerpt from of the list of Poles repressed by the communist regime in the years 1944-1956, and an excerpt from the list of Hungarians sentenced to death in the years 1956-1961. One of the most moving items on display will be an authentic flag from the Uprising in Budapest, damaged during the fighting. The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue.
Honorary patronage: President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and the President of Hungary László Sólyom.
Cooperation: Julian Borkowski; Graphic design: Marek and Maciej Mikulski
Ceremonial opening of the exhibition: 21/10/2006
The exhibition will be open to visitors from 22nd October to 30th November 2006.
Drawings of Jacek Fedorowicz from 1980-1987. The 25th anniversary of
The drawings collected for this exhibit were created between 1980 and 1987. Today, many of them can seem completely incomprehensible, so author provides modern explanations. There are some drawnings about: Lech Wałęsa, about mass demonstrations, about state television which served only lie, dumb down,
slander and demean everything.
Exhibition open till July 30. Welcome!
The Centenary of the Society for the Preservation of Historical Monuments
9 June – 30 September 2006
The purpose of the exhibition is to present the achievements of the Society for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, both in Warsaw and elsewhere, over the course of 100 years. It will feature portraits of the most active members of the Society (including Edward Krasiński); various items illustrating the history of the Baryczka house, the Society's headquarters; profiles of benefactors with short descriptions of the objects they had donated; and various items owned by the Society. The Society's activities – the drawing up of inventories, conservation work, exhibitions and documentary work – will be illustrated by various documents, photographs and architectural drawings.
During the First World War the Society took care of royal residences and after the signing of the Ryga Treaty in 1921 it contributed to the recovery of Polish art and historical monuments. Included in the exhibition will be documents describing the provisions of the Treaty and correspondence connected with the negotiations. Another part of the display will present the most successful exhibitions put on by the Society, such as the 1916 exhibition, which focused on the Royal Castle and the Łazienki residence. Among the works of art recovered by the Society were Canaletto's original paintings.
Curator: Janusz Sujecki, script-writer: dr Bożena Wierzbicka, set-designer: Alicja Ilgiewicz
Moscow Fashions from 1860 to 1910
Moscow Fashions from 1860 to 1910 - 5 April 2006 — 6 May 2006
The exhibition is devoted to a collection of clothes held by the Museum of the History of Moscow. The museum was founded in 1896 and is one of the oldest such institutions in Moscow.
Fashion changes over the period lasting from 1860 to 1910 can be traced by examining some of the apparel worn by elegant Muscovites. The clothes on display can tell us much about their former owners: their origin, social standing and marital status. While certainly influenced by European fashions of the time, these costumes also embody unique Moscow traditions.
Two inventions exerted enormous influence on women's fashions in the second half the the 19th and early 20th century: the Jacquard loom, which permitted the weaving of arbitrarily figured fabrics, and the sewing machine (its improved model, introduced after 1850 by I. Singer, conquered the world within the space of a few years). These developments speeded up the transition from custom-made to ready-made clothes.
On display are authentic clothes worn in Moscow during the second half of the 19th and early 20th century, as well as photographs from this period.
A glimpse of Moscow's fashionable life — soirées, balls, public festivities, popular entertainment, etc. — is furnished by a selection of products sold by leading Moscow shops at the turn of the 19th century: “Maison de Luxe”, “Jacques”, “A. Bogen”, “E. S. Shcheslavska”, “T. M. Matveyev” and others.
The exhibition opens with a display of mid-19th century items, clearly inspired by the Rococo style. During the 1850s and 1860s the skirt had to be very ample. To achieve the fashionable figure women resorted to crinoline—a structure consisting of steel rings connected by bands. The fabric, the way it was cut and the adornments reflected the purpose of the dress and the social position of the wearer's. Lace or velvet mantles of various kinds, silk cloaks, scarfs and burnouses were much in vogue. Examples of women's dresses from this period include a beige mantle of silk grosgrain, decorated with a flat seam and beads, as well as a hand-embroidered cloak of black velvet.
In the 1870s women's fashion drew for inspiration on 16th-17th century art. Crinoline was superseded by the bustle, which supported the skirt. In the 1880s an elongated bodice tightly laced at the waist gained popularity. Clothes dating from this period were made from many different kinds of fabric and often combined contrasting textures, colours and patterns: plain and tinsel satin, wool, velvet and felt. Asymmetric drapery, lace trimming and beads were often used. An example of this is provided by a wedding dress of silk grosgrain, tinsel and lace, an indoor dress, an outdoor dress of thin wool and a woman's cloak sold by the “T. M. Matveyev” shop.
After the 1889 Paris Exhibition, historicism, which had reigned in European art for half a century, was finally replaced by a new style, known in Russia as Modernism. It exerted a significant impact on architecture and crafts, as well as fashions. A good example is furnished by a silk ball dress. A special corset was used to give the wearer's figure the shape of the letter “S”. Most dresses from this period were made of soft, flowing fabrics, though chiffon, gauze, tulle and cambric were also used. Multi-layer dresses, such as the one on display, made of cambric stiffened with a mesh and decorated with openwork embroidery, were common. The Modernist style is evident in women's cloaks made of cloth, gauze or tulle and adorned with embroidered stylised floral motifs.
During the first decade of the 20th century fashion had undergone significant changes. The corset disappeared. Decorative elements, such as sequins, beads, lace or fur became common. Modernist ornaments were combined with patterns inspired by the Neo-classical style. This trend can be discerned in a woman's coat from the “Maison de Luxe” shop (made of purple satin crêpe) and a velvet dress adorned with silk, fur and beads.
A fashionable lady at the turn of the 19th century needed many accessories: scarves, kerchiefs, handbags, fans, gloves, umbrellas and so forth.
Photographs included in the exhibition give us an idea what the people who wore clothes similar to those on display looked like. The photographs were made by renowned Moscow studios, such as “Sherer, Nabgoltz and Co.”, G. T. Trunow or F. Opitz.
The History of the Castle Square – A Journey through Time
“The Castle Square, a Journey Through Time” is the first exhibition in a cycle of four events marking the 70th anniversary of the Historical Museum of Warsaw. The exhibition tells the story of a section of the city that played an important role in its history and even in the history of the state. Over the space of seven centuries it both connected and divided Warsaw's burgher community and the residents of the royal castle. The exhibition, which occupies four rooms, focuses on the history of the Castle Square and the Zygmunt Column, as well as archaeological excavations in this area.
The Castle Square as we know it today came into being rather late — in fact, only in 1818. The column with a statue of king Zygmunt Vasa III was erected much earlier (1643-1644) on the behest of Władysław IV, the son and successor of Zygmunt III. The Zygmunt Column is now 350 years old; it is the oldest secular monument in Warsaw. More than a mere statue, it is a symbol of the sovereignty of the Polish Crown, royal virtues—valour and justice—King Zygmunt III's victories on the battlefields of Moscow and Smoleńsk and loyalty to the Catholic church. The king's statue standing high on top of the column is rendered even more salient in the surrounding landscape by the tall cross—symbol of Christian faith—on which the king is leaning. In his right hand he is wielding a sabre, symbol of secular power. The column was erected in 1643; the statue was set on top on 24 November 1644. The monument came into being through the efforts of urban planner Agostino Locci, architect Constantino Tencalla, sculptor Clemente Molli and founder Daniel Tym. Translations of Latin inscriptions carved on plaques embedded in the column are given in the exhibition guide. For 20th century Varsovians, the Zygmunt Column became a symbol of the independence of the city, which rose from the ashes of wartime destruction.
The exhibition includes objects found during archaeological excavations on the Castle Square. Documentary footage of archaeologists working on the site will be shown. Objects found from 1971 to 1983 by the Historical Museum of Warsaw archaeologists will be put on display for the first time. Objects found during the latest excavations (completed in December 2005) on the site where the famous poplar once grew will also be displayed. These include fragments of Neolithic pottery (ca. 3000 BC), fragments of a platform that stood on the Square from the 16th to the 17th century and tiles decorated with crests.
Marks on the Castle Square pavement made in 1977 to indicate the location of former defensive walls will be explained and documented for the first time. The same will be done for the reconstructed (1983) arcades of the bridge leading to the Kraków Gate, visible from ul. Podwale.
Visitors will be able to make interesting comparisons when examining objects found in two different pharmacies: the earlier one, dating from the 16th century, and the later one, open from the 17th century to the early 19th century. On display will be the most interesting objects found during archaeological excavations on the Castle Square and the Great Court of the Castle, such as aurochs' antlers dating from the 16th century—testimony to hunting games so characteristic of the royal occupations indulged in by Castle residents—as well as a fragment of pottery adorned with a relief depicting the Assyrian king Asurbanipal (7th century BC) hunting a lion.
The last section of the exhibition is devoted to the history of the Castle Square, its destruction during the Second World War and its post-war rebuilding, as well as historical events that took place here—such as the visit of pope John Paul II in 1987.
Honorary patronage: President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński, Minister of Culture and National Heritage Kazimierz Michał Ujazdowski and acting President of Warsaw Mirosław Kochalski. Media sponsors: TVP 3, Gazeta Wyborcza, AMS Wprost, Mówią Wieki, The Warsaw Voice, PAP.
The exhibition will be open from 22 March to 09 July 2006.
Exhibition authors: script-writer Katarzyna Meyza, tel. 0-605-649-464, set-designer Jarosław Kłaput.
Information: Promotion and Information, tel. 635-16-25, ext. 113
The Old Town in Warsaw – photographic impression of Zbigniew Kapuścik.
The Old Town in Warsaw – photographic impression of Zbigniew Kapuścik.
Exhibition open: 6.01.06 – 31.01.06
Information about the author of the exhibition:
Zbigniew Kapuścik – since 1958 a member of the Polish Artistic Photographers Society (ZPAF); 1956-1960 president of Warsaw Photographic Society; 1974-1977 president of Warsaw region of ZPAF; cooperator of department of culture of Warsaw’s City Council; initiator of very popular in Poland and abroad Open Air Warsaw Photographic; member of Friends of Warsaw Society; autor of series of colour postcards of the Capital (1964); illustrator of an album; “The wall-paintings of Faras”, written by prof. K. Michalowski; cooperator of Department of Issuing Postage Stamps. For his long coopration with department of culture of Warsaw’s City Council he has got two distinctions “For Activity in Cultural work”. In 1975 he was awarded with a Prize of merit for Warsaw and in 2002 with amedal: “Four Centuries of Metropolitan Status of Warsaw”. Since 1960 he is a member of Federation Internationale de L’art Photographique.
