DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31381#0014
12
THE HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COLLECTION
moments, which evoked so many remembrances of his life and which, at the same time,
is an adornment of our nations culture — his collection of works of art. The whole
generations will make use of those beautiful works of Polish genius, draw from them lofty
impressions and educate themselves, and so continuously maintain a high level of
culture of our nation, whom your husband loved, for whose freedom he fought and for
whose good name he worked all his life.
Of particular importance to the National Museum was the acquisition of
Feliks “Manggha” Jasienski’s collection in the year 1920. This huge and
extremely heterogeneous set, embracing a dozen or so thousand items, included
— among others — a large group of works of Oriental, especially Japanese, art, as well
cis Polish and foreign textiles, graphics, sculpture, ceramics, furniture and several
hundred works of Polish contemporary art. The history of the transfer of this collection
into the hands of the City of Cracow had its beginning already in 1903, when the first
version of the collector’s last will was written down. It contained, among others, the
following statement: Sound in mind and body I declare all my collections and movables
to be the property of the general public. I desire them to form a separate museum or
a department in the National Museum in case I am not able to realize my projects during
my lifetime. (...) The collections may not be removed from Cracow. Following many years
of disputes with the management of the National Museum, suspected of malicious illwill by
Jasienski, and with the Community of the City of Cracow, the matter of donation was
returned to in 1912 and 1915. It was brought to conclusion only in 1920, when the deed
was executed by a notary on 11th March, confirming the transfer of all works of art from
the donor’s house into the possession of the Community of the Capital Royal City of
Cracow, on condition that a separate department of the National Museum was called to
life. However, the fulfilment of this condition has not been possible so far. Since Jasienski
completed his collection until his death (1929), the Museum, on the strength of the
document of 1920, took hold of objects created also after this date.
This imposing collection of modem art was shaped in a carefully studied
and consistent way. Each collection is, as it were, a confession of one’s artistic beliefs
— noted Jasienski in his article ’’Let the living hope against hope”, published in the
periodical ”£wiat” (’World”). And that was exactly the way in which Jasienski had built
his own collection: first of all by making use of his friendships with artists, but also owing
to his faultless intuition while evaluating the works, excellent understanding of the
difficult artistic milieu and ability to bring even material help to some of the artists.
Jasienski also used to exchange works of art, paying with less valuable or less favoured
creations; moreover, he acted as a go-between in artistic transactions, and even,
occasionally, took away a picture without paying the author, hiding it under his wide,
black cloak, famous in Cracow. Feliks Jasienski’s collection included pictures by Olga
Boznahska, Jacek Malczewski, Jozef Mehoffer and Jan Stanislawski: of special value
remains also a numerous complex of works by Jozef Pankiewicz and Leon Wyczolkow-
ski, both of them his friends. It is Feliks Jasienski’s collection, embracing creations of the
top quality, which in a large measure defines the value of the painting collection of
Young Poland in the National Museum.
The second (in number and importance) collection of paintings of Young
Poland, together with a valuable set of decorative art, was offered to the National Museum
in 1921 by Elrazm Barqcz, the director of long-standing of the Wieliczka Salt Mines,
THE HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COLLECTION
moments, which evoked so many remembrances of his life and which, at the same time,
is an adornment of our nations culture — his collection of works of art. The whole
generations will make use of those beautiful works of Polish genius, draw from them lofty
impressions and educate themselves, and so continuously maintain a high level of
culture of our nation, whom your husband loved, for whose freedom he fought and for
whose good name he worked all his life.
Of particular importance to the National Museum was the acquisition of
Feliks “Manggha” Jasienski’s collection in the year 1920. This huge and
extremely heterogeneous set, embracing a dozen or so thousand items, included
— among others — a large group of works of Oriental, especially Japanese, art, as well
cis Polish and foreign textiles, graphics, sculpture, ceramics, furniture and several
hundred works of Polish contemporary art. The history of the transfer of this collection
into the hands of the City of Cracow had its beginning already in 1903, when the first
version of the collector’s last will was written down. It contained, among others, the
following statement: Sound in mind and body I declare all my collections and movables
to be the property of the general public. I desire them to form a separate museum or
a department in the National Museum in case I am not able to realize my projects during
my lifetime. (...) The collections may not be removed from Cracow. Following many years
of disputes with the management of the National Museum, suspected of malicious illwill by
Jasienski, and with the Community of the City of Cracow, the matter of donation was
returned to in 1912 and 1915. It was brought to conclusion only in 1920, when the deed
was executed by a notary on 11th March, confirming the transfer of all works of art from
the donor’s house into the possession of the Community of the Capital Royal City of
Cracow, on condition that a separate department of the National Museum was called to
life. However, the fulfilment of this condition has not been possible so far. Since Jasienski
completed his collection until his death (1929), the Museum, on the strength of the
document of 1920, took hold of objects created also after this date.
This imposing collection of modem art was shaped in a carefully studied
and consistent way. Each collection is, as it were, a confession of one’s artistic beliefs
— noted Jasienski in his article ’’Let the living hope against hope”, published in the
periodical ”£wiat” (’World”). And that was exactly the way in which Jasienski had built
his own collection: first of all by making use of his friendships with artists, but also owing
to his faultless intuition while evaluating the works, excellent understanding of the
difficult artistic milieu and ability to bring even material help to some of the artists.
Jasienski also used to exchange works of art, paying with less valuable or less favoured
creations; moreover, he acted as a go-between in artistic transactions, and even,
occasionally, took away a picture without paying the author, hiding it under his wide,
black cloak, famous in Cracow. Feliks Jasienski’s collection included pictures by Olga
Boznahska, Jacek Malczewski, Jozef Mehoffer and Jan Stanislawski: of special value
remains also a numerous complex of works by Jozef Pankiewicz and Leon Wyczolkow-
ski, both of them his friends. It is Feliks Jasienski’s collection, embracing creations of the
top quality, which in a large measure defines the value of the painting collection of
Young Poland in the National Museum.
The second (in number and importance) collection of paintings of Young
Poland, together with a valuable set of decorative art, was offered to the National Museum
in 1921 by Elrazm Barqcz, the director of long-standing of the Wieliczka Salt Mines,