The International Collection of Modern Art of the "a.r." group

The first monograph published after almost 50 years in an expanded and updated version dedicated to the collection, which provided the momentum towards the development of the then J. and K. Bartoszewicz Municipal Museum of History and Art in Łódź – currently the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź – into one of the major European exhibition and research institutions focused on diverse aspects of modern and contemporary arts.

INFO

Publisher

Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź

Authors

Céline Berchiche, Barbara Brus-Malinowska, Masha Chlenova, Wietse Coppes, Isabelle Ewig, Maria Franecka, Małgorzata Geron, Barbara Gołębiowska, Adriaan Gonnissen, Pierre Guénégan, Mariëtta Jansen, Walburga Krupp, Paulina Kurc-Maj, Martine Mathias, Paweł Polit, Anna Saciuk-Gąsowska, Marek Igor Skrzyński, Karel Srp, Maike Steinkamp, Przemysław Strożek, Agnieszka Szewczyk, Cecilia de Torres, Arta Valstar-Verhoff, Romana Wojtynek, Karolina Zychowicz

Translators

Martyna Dec, Maria Franecka, Agnieszka Hatowska, Łukasz Mojsak, Anna Sikora-Sabat

Idea and editing

Paulina Kurc-Maj, Anna Saciuk-Gąsowska

Publishing coordination

Martyn Kramek

Graphic design and typesetting

Tomasz Bierkowski

International Collection of Modern Art of the “a.r.” group is the first collection of radical avant-garde art in Poland and one of the first collections in the world created with the intent to be shown publicly. It is exceptional also because its idea was conceived in the art community and it brings together works donated by artists. Finally, the collection was deposited and later donated to the then municipal museum meaning it was viewed as a public collection from the very start. This is how the legacy of the Avant-garde was “officially” sanctioned and included into the mainstream culture. Although further research is still needed, the publication presents an updated body of knowledge about the history of the collection.

The publication includes two essays: the first one authored by Paulina Kurc-Maj and Anna Saciuk-Gąsowska devoted to the history of the Collection and its positioning amongst other modern art collections created in more or less the same timeframe and the second one by Masha Chlenova discussing stages in which the Collection was built based on the current state of research.

The last chapter of the book contains annotated reproductions of all the works in the Collection. Works lost during the WWII are also described and presented in accordance with the state-of-the-art knowledge. The publication finishes with a catalogue in which there are brief descriptions of the history of each of the works and conservator reports.

Publication available in Polish and English language versions.

ISBN 978-83-62820-89-3
Published in: 2019
Format: 19,5 x 25 x 2,5 cm
Binding: softback
Number of pages: 284
Number of illustrations: ca. 207 (125 colors and 82 b/w)

Price: 120 PLN

This publication is available in Polish and English.

You can purchase this publication by emailing us at: ksiegarnia@msl.org.pl

KSIĘGARNIA