Open AccessThe Demeaned Avant-Garde and the Art of Cognition
Author(s) -
Rafał Solewski
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
annales universitatis paedagogicae cracoviensis. studia de arte et educatione/annales academiae paedagogicae cracoviensis. studia de arte et educatione
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2081-3325
pISSN - 1895-5118
DOI - 10.24917/20813325.14.4
Subject(s) - exhibition , avant garde , style (visual arts) , exposition (narrative) , art , art history , aesthetics , visual arts , literature
In 1979, at the exhibition L’avanguardia polacca 1910–1978. S.I. Witkiewicz, costruttivismo. artisti contemporanei [Polish Avant-Garde 1910–1978. S.I. Witkiewicz, Constructivists, Contemporary Artists] staged at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, Tadeusz Kantor’s works were displayed alongside pieces by Stanisław Witkiewicz (also known as Witkacy), constructivists, and young Polish avant-garde. On being juxtaposed with the latter, the artist decided on an addition to his part of the show with the aim of “completing” it (L’avanguardia, 1979) – the adjoining rooms were to host an exposition of artworks by Cricot 2 Theatre actors (Le opere, 1979: 94–95). Upset about the limited space in the Palazzo put at his disposal by curator Ryszard Stanisławski (The transcription, 2013: 1), he still managed to provide a selection of avant-garde works that were bold, numerous and manifold, while demonstrating a distinctive style that tended to be odd, pitiful and astounding. A visit to the sections arranged by Kantor encouraged reflection on the role he himself, as well as the circles gathered around the Krakow Group and the Foksal Gallery in Warsaw occupied in the Polish world of art.