Stanislaw Wyspianski

Dr Starachowicz (a gift from the artist)
Acquired from the above in the 1960s by the present owner

Unexamined out of frame and under glass, the sheet is in good condition. Apart from a neat, light horizontal crease near the upper edge and a light horizontal crease to the chin of the figure (approx. 5cm.), this work is in very good condition, with rich, bright colours and a strong, clean surface, and ready to hang. Held in a decorative, olive green and gold-painted moulded plaster and wood frame, under glass.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted circa 1894-1899, during or shortly after Wyspianski's stay in Paris (1891-1896), and most probably inspired by his work for the Krakow Municipal Museum.

Stanislaw Wyspianski was one of the most remarkable and unique artists of Polish Modernism. A man of versatile talent, he expressed himself in almost every domain of the visual arts and in literature with great ease and skill. He was a painter, sculptor, printmaker, polychrome and stained-glass artist as well as interior, book, art magazine and poster designer; he adapted dramas for the stage, designed sets and costumes for the plays he wrote, and experimented with stage illumination. As an art conservator he worked on the conservation of historical polychromes in several Krakow churches, and as a city planner prepared a redevelopment design for Wawel Hill.

Wyspianski deftly used pastels, less often oils, and eagerly employed combination print techniques. Although he worked unassisted and never set up a teaching studio, towards the end of his life he was nominated professor of religious and decorative painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He was known for working closely with artisans executing his designs of useful objects, theatre sets, typography or stained glass.

Wyspianski was the author of national dramas, works for the stage set in Antiquity, contemporary plays evocative of morality plays, poems and rhapsodies, as well as a range of theoretical essays and critical reviews focused on theatre art.