Franciszek Starowieyski. Disorder in the Palace

Franciszek Starowieyski remains one of the most important and original Polish artists of the 20th century. His artwork, personality, charisma, and the controversies he stirred for many years captured the imagination of Poles. He worked in painting, drawing, and graphic arts, designed film and theater posters-being considered one of the greatest representatives of the Polish Poster School-and created television and film scenography. He was also an avid art collector, particularly of old art, and a connoisseur of 17th and 18th century history and art.
Starowieyski frequently referred to his favorite artistic era, the Baroque, which fascinated and inspired him. Starting in the 1970s, he began to backdate his works by 300 years, consciously distancing himself from the present and seeking inspiration in the past. His art is rooted in motifs drawn from Baroque painting and the surrealist poetics of dreams.
The year 2025 marks the 95th anniversary of the artist’s birth, providing a perfect occasion to commemorate him-not only for Kraków’s residents-through a special exhibition filled with props, objects, and artifacts.