year of publication: 2014
edited by: Agnieszka Szewczyk
texts: Iwona Kurz, Katarzyna Matul, Piotr Rypson, Agnieszka Szewczyk
graphic design: Iwo Rutkiewicz
publisher: Zachęta - Natonal Gallery of Art, Bosz
ISBN: 978-83-60713-96-9

Henryk Tomaszewski (1914–2005) – graphic designer, draughtsman and Professor at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts – was one of the leading figures of Polish graphic design after the Second World War. Rejecting the heritage of the European avant-garde, with its rational approach to constructing visual messages, Tomaszewski developed a vivid, unique design formula, the origins and visual effects of which are the subject of this exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birthday.

This survey showcases Tomaszewski’s output as a poster designer in two major contrasting sections. The first features works from the time of the so-called Polish Poster School (from 1945 to the end of the 1950s), when the artist developed the concept of a poster based on visual shorthand and metaphor. His designs from that period are characterised by an unconstrained painterly character, humour and a poetic mood. Many of them are now considered classics of this genre.

The second section includes posters designed from the 1960s onwards – when the artist gradually shifted away from his lush, painterly style towards more simple, abstract solutions and an unmistakable style of drawing which, in time, became the key motif of his works. It was then that Tomaszewski arrived at a full definition of his language as a graphic designer.

The third and final part of the exhibition revolves around the concept of the ‘letter’ – a question of particular significance for Tomaszewski and a recurring theme in his practice. This section features selected posters based on lettering and book designs. In addition, the exhibition includes drawings, sketches and poster designs, thus shedding light on the working methods of a graphic designer before the coming of the digital age. This unique material, a large part of which comes from the artist’s archive and is presented for the first time, makes it possible to evoke the exceptional materiality of the graphic design of the past.

Polish and English version published separately.