Art out of time. Stefan Norblin (1892-1952).

The first post-war exhibition of Stefan Norblin (1892-1952). A versatile artist, organized by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola in 2011, sparked a wave of interest in the artist in Poland and around the world. Showcasing Norblin’s multifaceted work, especially the first and only loan of paintings and designs from Indian Jodhpur, presented Norblin as an artist who eludes straightforward evaluation. The exhibition’s presentations at the National Gallery of India in New Delhi and Mumbai renewed the recognition of Norblin’s heritage in that country, and information about the exhibition, along with the catalog, also reminded audiences in the USA about the artist. Research on Norblin’s work has gained new dimensions, leading to and continuing to bring forth further discoveries.

The Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola has thus become an informal research center for the life and work of the artist, and the value and popularity of the exhibition have led to further positive events.

On October 12 this year, another edition of the Stalowa Wola exhibition will be opened under the new title Art Beyond Time. Stefan Norblin (1892-1952) at the Poster Museum in Wilanów. The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Poster Museum in Wilanów and the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola. It will showcase paintings and works from Poland, emphasizing the role of posters, as well as an American collection from California, which the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola acquired for its collections thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The artist will be presented in Warsaw – in the place of his birth, coinciding with significant anniversaries of both his birth (120 years) and death (60 years).

The exhibition is accompanied by an extraordinary discovery – something even the son of Stefan Norblin and Lena Żelichowska, who was orphaned early by his parents, was not aware of. It turned out that contrary to previously known information, the ashes of both were not scattered over the San Francisco area, where they died, but were buried in cemeteries near the city. Now, with the son’s consent, they are returning to Polish soil. Thanks to Ms. Carii Tomczykowskiej (PACF) and Ms. Agnieszka Kasprzak-Miler (City of Warsaw), it has been possible to organize the burial of the Norblins in Warsaw. The solemn retrieval and interment of the ashes of Stefan Norblin and Lena Żelichowska will precede the inauguration of the exhibition in Wilanów. The day dedicated to the memory of Stefan Norblin will begin at the mentioned Powązki Cemetery, followed by the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in the current Bielany district (formerly Żoliborz) – where Stefan built his house, named Kaskada. The finale will be an evening vernissage at the Poster Museum, combined with the premiere of a new film about the artist.

Next year, new events related to the creative profile of Stefan Norblin are planned in Stalowa Wola, which the Museum will continuously inform about.

For more information: Anna Szlązak, aszlazak@muzeum.stalowawola.pl, tel. 15 844 85 56, ext. 15

Poster Museum in Wilanów, exhibition commissioner Aleksandra Jatczak, ajatczak@mnw.art.pl, tel. 22 842 48 48, www.postermuseum.pl