Organizers of Life. De Stijl, The Polish Avant-Garde, And Design

“Exactly one century ago, the autumn of 1917 witnessed two events of immense importance for the development of avant-garde thought in Poland and in the Netherlands. In October of the same year, the first issue of the journal De Stijl was published in the Dutch city of Leiden, which provided a platform that played an extremely significant role in the development of the so-called New Art. Only one month later, the First Exhibition of Polish Expressionists was inaugurated in Kraków, a city located more than one thousand kilometres away—the show is recognised today as a symbolic beginning of the Polish Avant-garde. At the time, the two events did not have much in common, yet this coincidence acquires a special meaning in the light of the mutual contacts and influences that emerged in the course of time between Polish and Dutch avant-garde groups and their representatives.” (from an essay by Dr. Michał Wenderski)

This book and catalogue is the first to present so extensively the connections between Polish avant-garde design and De Stijl’s output. It presents extensive essays written by Prof. Marek Wieczorek, Dr. Michał Wenderski, and Dr. Szymon Piotr Kubiak focused on De Stijl’s influence on European design, mainly the Avant-garde and design in Poland. This part is supplemented with selected archival materials. The catalogue part of the publication mirrors the structure of the exhibition similarly entitled, showcasing the most important examples of artworks in Dutch and Polish circles.