MUSEUM CURATOR BY VOCATION. CANON MIROSŁAW NOWAK PHD (1961–2021): DIRECTOR OF THE WARSAW ARCHDIOCESE MUSEUM

Having fought a long and tough battleagainst COVID-19, on 11 April 2021, Mirosław Nowak PhD,a theologian, art historian, museum curator, ArchdioceseConservator, and the Director of the Warsaw ArchdioceseMuseum, passed away. In 1982–1987, Fr. Mirosław studied arthistory at the History Department of the University of Warsaw,at the same time studying philosophy and theology at theHigher Metropolitan Seminary in Warsaw. Having taken holyorders in 1990, throughout his life he was able to successfullyharmonize his ministry with the profession of an art historian.With his research focused on Baroque art, in 2006, he defendedhis doctoral dissertation on the Chapel of Blessed Ceslaus inthe Wrocław church of the Dominicans. Fr. Mirosław Nowakperformed many Diocese-wide functions, with 2013 being forhim breakthrough: it was then that he became Director of theWarsaw Archdiocese Museum. Under him, the Museum wasmoved to a new extensive home in the centre of Warsaw’sOld Town; he mounted a permanent exhibition, and createdan energetic cultural centre of high impact. At the Museum,he organized lectures, shows, authors’ presentations, concerts,and conferences. Fr. Nowak established contacts with othermuseums in Poland and abroad; he organized around 40temporary exhibitions, among which the biggest and mostinteresting was that dedicated to the Silesian master of theBaroque Michael Willmann, The Warsaw Archdiocese Museumwill painfully miss a good human and an excellent director.