Henryk Stażewski
Henryk Stażewski (1894-1988) was one of the most important Polish avant-garde artists who, during the interwar period, was a member of such artistic groups like Blok, Praesens, a.r., and the international group Cercle et Carre. He was one of the cofounders of the Museum of Art in Łódź. After the war he lived in Warsaw.
To the young generation of artists and critics growing up in the post-war period Stażewski was not only a legend and a link to the pre-war avant-garde tradition, but also a friend, mentor and artist that reacted to everything that was happening.
His apartment, which also served as his studio, was located in a block of flats on Świerczewskiego Street in Warsaw and for many years was one of the most significant artistic spots in the city. Until 1967 he shared the apartment with a painter, Maria Ewa Łunkiewicz-Rogoyska, and her husband, Jan Rogoyski, and from 1970 with Edward Krasiński. In the early 1960s the artist was associated with members of the Krzywe Koło Gallery. In 1966, together with Wiesław Borowski, Anka Ptaszkowska, Mariusz Tchorek, Zbigniew Gostomski and Edward Krasiński, he cofounded the Foksal Gallery which he was a member of until his death (with an exception of a short period of time in the 1970s). He not only exhibited his works at the Foksal Gallery, but also participated in many events organized by other associated artists. Stażewski was the centre of the social life and the initiator of a large number of events bringing the artistic community together.
