A prolific painter, writer, theorist and photographer, Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz was one of the most influential avant-garde artists in Poland during the early 20th century. Witkacy (as he referred to himself) was a member of Formism, or Polish Expressionism, and was part of the pioneering group of artists who brought Modern art to Poland. Extant prints by Witkiewicz are rare and seldom appear at auction.
Witkiewicz's eccentric approach to photography explored the psychology behind the figure. Through exaggerated facial expressions, extreme cropping, and props, Witkiewicz made images of multiple personas within the guise of self-portraiture. Trauma deeply informed his art, having witnessed the Russian revolution firsthand and grappled with the suicide of his fiancée.
“At the root of Witkiewicz' philosophical and aesthetic system lies a realisation of the dualism of human existence, defined by its spiritual dimensions on the one hand, and on the other by its purely physical state of being in the world. It is out of this tension that man's ever-variable identity emerges, with a range of emotions that extends from euphoria to melancholy. Witkiewicz' pre- 1914 self-portraits lend expression to intense psychological suffering, to depression and personal crisis, mirroring the artist's feeling of social alienation and isolation.”
Right: Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Self-Portrait Faces, Zakopane, 1912
A rare early photograph from 1912, Self-Portrait Faces, Zakopane stems from Witkiewicz’s best-known and most highly regarded period of work. Witkiewicz’s face emerges from a blurred background, with the emphasis on his open mouth and strained expression. Because of the emotional intensity of his portraits, Witkiewicz frequently kept his photographs private, often shown only to his close circle of like-minded artists.
“... it is not enough to exist simply, non-reflectively, passively, negatively, it is necessary to manifest one's existence more clearly, against the background of possible death and surrounding nothingness …”
The three portraits by Witkacy from The David and Gail Mixer Collection (Lots 10, 11, and 12) reveal the variety of presentations and subjects in Witkiewicz’s oeuvre. In addition to Self-Portrait Faces, Zakopane, the Mixer Collection also includes works that explore the theme of the double. Lots X and X include a compelling portrait with his friend Inka Tuowsaka, lit from below, and an experimental pair of self-portraits, in which he poses as a cleric.
Right: Lot 11, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, 'Witkacy i Inka Turowska,' 1932