Dimensions: 65.5 x 75.5 cm
signed lower left: 'Szancenbach'
signed, dated, and inscribed on the reverse: 'JAN SZANCENBACH | FROM THE "SEA EYE" SERIES | GRAY DAY | 1994'; auction labels on the reverse of the frame
Provenance
Rempex Auction House, May 2016
private collection, Warsaw
Biography
Throughout his life, the artist was associated with the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he rose from the position of assistant to that of dean of the painting department. From 1940 to 1942, he studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Kraków under Stanisław Kamocki, Józef Mehoffer, and Andrzej Jurkiewicz. He continued his studies from 1945 to 1948 at the Academy of Fine Arts under Wojciech Weiss and Eugeniusz Eibisch—he received his diploma in 1952. From 1972 onward, he ran his own studio at the Department of Painting. From 1987 to 1993, he served as rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, and in 1986 he was appointed professor. He painted mainly genre scenes, landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. He also worked in monumental painting, graphic design, and animated film. His paintings are joyful, full of life and light. This artist’s works can be viewed in all major museums in Poland, as well as in Moscow and at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. He has participated in over 400 group exhibitions in Poland, Europe, and Japan. He has had approximately 50 solo exhibitions in Poland, the United Kingdom, Austria, Sweden, and Germany. In 1996, a retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work, organized by ABC Gallery as part of the series “Masters of Polish Contemporary Painting,” took place in Poznań.
