Paris et les artistes polonais / Paris and the Polish Artists 1945-1989

“Paris and the Polish Artists. 1945-1989” is a conference devoted to
Polish-French artistic relations after World War II, in the time
dominated politically by the communist ideology and defined by Poland’s
position within the "people's democracy” states camp. Since the 50s
Polish authorities, discreetly opposing political and cultural Soviet
ideology of socialist realism (generally rejected by artistic circles
in 1955) promoted modernity following the model of art developed in
France – a country politically supporting Poland, where the left linked
to the Communist Party of France had a strong position.

Most privileged was the tradition of French modernism, drawn from most
vividly and in a variety of ways by the post-impressionism, through the
surrealistic inspirations of the late 40s and 50s, as well as the
influence of tachism and the references to the new Parisian avant-garde
of the 60s and 70s. It was accompanied by strong influence of French
philosophy (existentialism), literature and film (New Wave), which were
always available and popular in Poland.

The organizers of the conference are interested in the following
questions: How did the milieu of the Polish artists living in France
after World War II function? After the war, what was the position of
the artistic pre-war emigration? What were the phenomena that focused
the attention of the younger generation artists who arrived there? What
was their relationship with the artistic circles of Paris, the Polish
ones, the French, or international? Beside seeking answers to the
questions about the post-war artistic emigration to France, we will
assess the meaning of Paris to Polish artists, especially the so-called
modern artists, the meaning of a city whose specifically
"extraterritorial" culture was perceived for a long time after the war
as the artistic center of the world and a source of ideas, inspirations
and models. Let us glimpse at the trails that led Polish creators
throughout the map of the artistic Paris and how they influenced the
transformations of art in Poland.

The program of the 3-day / 2 session conference will feature a wide
scope of topics, including:

- French post-war art and its reception in Poland,
- the fate of the pre-war Polish art colony after 1944 (after the
liberation of Paris),
- the work of Polish artists and architects, who settled in France
after the war,
- Polish artistic colony in Paris - institutions, associations and
artistic groups, press,
- Polish scholars (artists, architects and art critics) in France,
- Polish artists’ exhibitions in Paris and the participation of Polish
artists in Salons and exhibitions in France,
- Polish galleries and art dealers in Paris,
- official exhibitions of French art in Poland and of Polish art in
France,
- French critics on Polish art and artists,
- Polish critics on French art,
- art in in the Paris "Kultura” (“Culture") and other Polish
periodicals in France,
- links between Polish artist colony in Paris and Polish artistic
circles in other countries (London, Rome, New York, Chicago, Tel-Aviv),
- Polish-French artistic links compared with those with other countries,
- national Identification of the artists from Poland in France,
- the collections and documentation of post-war Polish art in France.

A separate section will be devoted to comparative studies on art
colonies set in the in post-war Paris by other communist nations in
Europe and Asia (including Czechs, Lithuanians, Russians, Romanians,
Ukrainians, Hungarians, also Chinese).

The conference will be held in two parallel sessions. The conference
languages are French and English.

Please send your applications to paris.conf@world-art.pl till June 30,
2015. Applications should include name, short CV, organization, title
and short summary of your paper (ca. 300 words).

The conference fee is 200 PLN or 50 EUR, for doctoral students 100 PLN
or 25 EUR.
Payments should be processed till 30 August, 2015 to: Credit Agricole,
Orlat Lwowskich 1, 53-605 Wroclaw. IBAN: PL 24 1940 1076 3101 7420
0000 0000. Swift code: LUBWPLPR.

The participants will cover the travel cost and accommodation at a
hostel. The organizers will endeavor to obtain funds to cover the
accommodation and meals.

Conference organised by:
Polish Institute of World Art Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University
in Torun, Poland – Department of History of Modern Art, Faculty of Fine
Arts; Department of History of Polish Art and Culture in Emigration,
Chair of History of Art and Culture, Faculty of History; University
Library

Organizational committee:
Prof. Jerzy Malinowski (chairman; jmalin@poczta.onet.pl), Prof. Jan W.
Sienkiewicz (janwikt1@yahoo.it), Dr. Malgorzata Geron (scientific
secretary; m.geron@poczta.fm), Dr. Agnieszka Kluczewska-Wójcik
(akluczewska@msn.com), Dr. Piotr Majewski (mpetrus@poczta.onet.pl), Dr.
Krzysztof Nierzwicki (director, University Library in Torun;
krzysn@umk.pl), Dr. Emilia Ziólkowska (secretary; emilazet@02.pl).