The multifaceted, diverse work of the now rediscovered artist of three continents will be presented in three scenes: Polish, Indian, American, according to the fascinating turns of his life.

Norblin and his wife, actress Lena Żelichowska, were a colorful couple of the capital’s artistic life in pre-war Poland. The artist realized himself in many fields of creativity, from portraits (he painted politicians, military men, theater and film people), through posters, illustration, to fashion designs and advertising graphics.

His multifaceted talent unexpectedly blossomed in India (1941-46), where Norblin decorated several modern residences with frescoes and large canvases (including the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, where he also designed interiors and furniture). As a result, Stefan Norblin left the largest collection of Polish art in Asia. In 1946 he settled in San Francisco, where he created portraits of many famous people until his tragic death.

The exhibition in Stalowa Wola shows Norblin as a versatile artist, a master in many sometimes quite distant fields of art. Oil paintings, mainly portraits, will be presented, as well as drawings, watercolors, posters, examples of graphics, illustration. Unfortunately, not many of the artist’s works have survived in Polish collections, quite a number of paintings require thorough conservation. Norblin’s pre-war, extremely prolific work has left traces in press releases, reproductions, archives. Paintings and murals in India are being successively restored by Polish conservators.

On the other hand, an unusual event will be the presentation of paintings brought from California (courtesy of Andrew Norblin, the artist’s son, and The Polish Arts and Culture Foundation). Another surprise are paintings and interior designs from India, specially loaned for the occasion by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Gaja Singh II. On a daily basis, the large canvases adorn the Umaid Bhawan palace.

The exhibition will last a month and this will be the only opportunity to see it in Poland. At the end of the year it will travel to New Delhi and Mumbai.

Complementing the exhibition at the museum’s headquarters is a PLENARY EXHIBITION on Stefan Norblin’s work in India. The large-format prints present the artist’s most important realizations in the palaces of Indian maharajas.

Curator of the exhibition: Anna Szlazak

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog in Polish-English version

Project subsidized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage

Organizers:

• Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
  
• Embassy of the Republic of Poland in India
  
• City of Stalowa Wola
  
• Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola
  

Cooperation:

• The Polish Arts and Culture Foundation
  
• National Institute of Museology and Collections Protection
  
• Embassy of India in Poland
  

Stefan Norblin born June 29, 1892 in Warsaw – died August 12, 1952 in San Francisco. Actually Juliusz Stefan Norblin de la Gourdaine – was the son of Warsaw industrialist Stanislaw Ignacy Norblin and great-grandson of Jan Piotr Norblin, a prominent painter of French origin.

Stefan Norblin’s life was marked by the most important historical phenomena of the 20th century: the restoration of Poland’s independence (1918), the outbreak of World War II (1939), emigration first to India, then to the United States and its aftermath.

In 1910 he graduated from the Academy of Economics and Commerce in Antwerp, then took a job with a paper concern. His passion, however, was art. He began drawing, at first caricatures and portraits, which led to his first exhibition at Amsterdam’s Memling gallery (1913). At that time he also visited Paris and London, where he created illustrations under the pseudonym “Count von Luxemburg.”

In 1920, during the Polish-Russian war, Norblin enlisted in the army. As an interpreter (he was fluent in several languages), he participated in the peace conference in Riga. After returning to Poland, he actively participated in the life of Warsaw’s intellectual and artistic elite. His first wife was the actress Maria Modzelewska. In 1933 he married Lena Żelichowska, a dancer at the National Theater and a popular film actress.

Norblin’s work in Poland comes at a time of cultural rebirth after the country regained its independence in 1918. This is a period of rapid economic and cultural development in Poland, as well as the search for a national style. Norblin’s work perfectly fits into the cultural context of this period, while the art déco style, in which he mainly created, became the determinant of fashion and taste of those years. Life in the capital between the wars was full of artistic events. Norblin, as a versatile artist: painter, portraitist, interior and architectural designer, illustrator, advertising graphic designer, fashion designer and even designer of theatrical costumes, was among the most taken artists of the period in Poland.

In 1941, the Norblins, through Romania, Turkey, Iraq, reach India where the artist has the opportunity to show the fullness of his talent. He decorates and designs the interiors of palace residences. Impressive wall paintings are created, in which Norblin skillfully combines Indian tradition with the style of Western European painting of the time. He paints portraits of the owners of the residences.

His first commission is to decorate the interior of a palace-residence in the city of Morvi (now Morbi), followed by a palace in Patna. On the wave of success, Norblin also opens a solo exhibition at the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Hall gallery in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1944. In the same year, Norblin’s son Andrew Peter (now a prominent guitarist in the US) is born. Another huge commission is given to Norblin in the city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan in the newly built grand palace of Umaid Bhawan. He creates impressive wall and canvas paintings and even designs new furniture. He also decorates a hunting lodge on the Sardar Samand lake.

In 1946, the Norblins and their son settled in the United States, near San Francisco. The artist takes on portrait commissions and also works for a decorating company.

Unfortunately, progressive loss of sight causes Stefan Norblin to commit suicide in 1952. The artist’s works in the US were mostly destroyed or scattered.