8 Kolobrzeska, Bydgoszcz, Poland
The museum was established in 2005 and still awaits for its main headquarters. Now it is located in two locations in Warsaw: Na Pańskiej Street and On the Vistula. The museum presents the achievements and transformation of Polish art of the XX and XXI centuries. The Museum engages in modern art research programs, gradually expanding its offer to the audiences. The focus is on visual arts, graphic design, industrial design, and architecture. The museum is associated with Warsaw, its history and residents, and at the same time actively participates in artistic life in Poland and in the world.
The Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art is one of the most important cultural institutions in Poland, a place of creation and presentation of contemporary art in all its manifestations. The extensive program includes exhibitions, film screenings, educational workshops, lectures and seminars. Publishing activities are carried out here, there is a cinema and an artistic residency program. The Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art is located in a baroque castle, in a park on the Royal Route.
The biggest contemporary art museum in Poland. It is an institution whose mission is to popularize contemporary art as an important element of cultural and social life. The gallery is located in Warsaw at 3 Małachowskiego Street, across from the Saxon Garden. Zachęta is the most prestigious and largest gallery of contemporary art in Poland. It has a valuable collection of Polish post-war art. The exhibitions in Zachęta showcase the works of outstanding artists. The Gallery also hosts lectures, scientific sessions, book promotions, meetings with artists, cinema screenings and concerts. There is a studio cinema in the building. Educational workshops and integration programs are organized. There is also a well-stocked art bookshop at the Gallery. Moreover, Zachęta has a large collection of catalogues and a complete, structured documentation of contemporary Polish artists.
Modern Art Museum MOCAK is situated at 4 Lipowa street, only 72 m from Schindler’s Factory Museum, as it is situated in the old halls of the factory. MOCAK was opened in 2011. Exhibitions of the museum concentrates on the newest modern art of the last 20 years. The context of the works of art in the museum is a post war avant-garde and conceptual art. Exhibition area is 4 thousand square meters, and the whole building has 10 thousand square meters. The museum shows works of artist from all around the world. The permanent exhibition is located at -1 floor and at the second floor there are temporary galleries. B building shows temporary, individual artists exhibitions. In the museum you will also find a library, a book shop, a café and a conservation workshop. MOCAK is a very interesting place for all modern art lovers.
It is the only national museum in Poland that regularly uses contemporary art, often by living artists. And it is drawn from all possible artistic drawers. There are, not surprisingly, absolute masters like Jerzy Nowosielski. There are respectable creators of critical art (Zbigniew Libera, Katarzyna Kozyra), but also the generation of Marcin Maciejowski and Paulina Ołowska. And yet you can add photography exhibitions at their best (Jerzy Lewczyński, Wojciech Plewiński) or pop art (Lucjan Mianowski).
The famous Four Domes Pavilion by UNESCO enlisted Centennial Hall was taken over by the National Museum in Wrocław. In May 2013, the building underwent a general renovation for its needs, thanks to which new exhibition space was obtained - over 6 thousand square meters for the exhibition of contemporary art. An open-air sculpture gallery was created in the park surrounding the pavilion. It presents a collection of Polish contemporary art with the works of the most outstanding artists of the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of our century. The museum's collection includes works by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Paweł Althamer, Mirosław Bałka, Stanisław Fijałkowski, Władysław Hasior, Tadeusz Kantor, Katarzyna Kozyra, Jan Lebenstein, Jerzy Nowosielski, Alina Szapocznikow and many other. In 2006, as one of the elements of the exhibition grounds at the Centennial Hall, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Imagination, courage and diligence in times of modest budgets well characterizes Poland’s modern and contemporary museums and art galleries. Still, they are definitely worth to be discovered during your Polish tours. We heartily recommend visiting these temples of culture especially in Warsaw, Cracow and Wroclaw. If you are interested in visiting any of the above mentioned places, just contact one of our professional group coordinators. We also recommending our two other art articles: 12 most precious paintings in Poland and where to find them and Art Galleries and Art Museums in Poland.
Author: Agnieszka Szwedzińska
Date: 31.01.2021
