Large Polish Exhibitions in France: 1900 – 1977 – 2019

Abstract

The article reflects back on the largest exhibitions of Polish painting to ever take place in France within the broader context of the reception of 19th-century art in France and Polish- French artistic relations at the time of the Polish partitions (1795–1918). Presented in it are three model exhibition concepts: in 1900 at the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris (Exposition rétrospective d’oeuvres des peintres polonais 1800–1900), in 1977 at the Grand Palais (L’esprit romantique dans l’art polonais XIXe–XXe siecles), and in 2019/20 at the Louvre-Lens Museum in northern France (Pologne 1840–1918. Peindre l’âme d’une nation), with consideration given to these exhibitions’ role in shaping national community and the Polish paradigm from Romanticism to the Young Poland movement. Analysed are the key premises and narratives as well as the mythic and “foundational” paintings and the constitutive national myths deeply rooted in the Polish imagination. Additionally, the article’s reflection on possible definitions of “Polishness” is supplemented with questions regarding international connections and artistic exchange between Polish and European artists, and on artists’ attempts to overcome the weight of national issues. Included in the discussion are outstanding artists such as Jan Matejko, Jacek Malczewski, Stanisław Wyspiański, Józef Chełmoński, Henryk Rodakowski, Józef Brandt, Artur Grottger and Leon Wyczółkowski.