FOUND SCULPTURE: Auction of works by Jan Cykowski
The Xawery Dunikowski Museum of Sculpture at the Królikarnia Palace, the Museum of Warsaw and Fenix Group are happy to invite you to an auction of a body of sculptures by Jan Cykowski on 23rd July 2015 at 7 pm on the eastern terrace of the Królikarnia Palace.
Designs of monuments and architectural sculptures, Socialist Realist visions of sportsmen and soldiers, portraits of outstanding personalities of culture, allegorical figures. Originating from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, those works have not entered the canon Polish sculpture, and the sculptor is seldom mentioned in professional literature. Today, his works have a historical value – they function as a sign of their time. A fresh, unprejudiced perspective reveals their artistic qualities: curiously composed forms, skilfully captured movement, implicit but evocative portrayal of emotions.
The sculptures were forgotten by the world for decades. Covered with a thickening rug of dust, they lay dormant in the artist’s studio in 49a Koszykowa St. in Warsaw. The entire property, complete with buildings, was purchased by Fenix Group, a company that specialises in renovation and real-estate sales in historical burgher houses. In the spring of 2015, after the discovery of the mysterious treasure on the ground floor of one of the renovated buildings, the board of Fenix Group turned for help to the Museum of Warsaw and the Xawery Dunikowski Museum of Sculpture – branch of the National Museum of Warsaw. A collaboration between two Warsaw museums and Fenix Group made it possible to organise an emergency rescue action: the estate of Jan Cykowski is now safe outside the construction site and has received a disinfection treatment. The Museum of Sculpture at the Królikarnia Palace offered a temporary refuge for the found works, but not all of them will enter the museum collection. Some of the sculptures are set to go under the hammer on a public auction in July 2015 at the Królikarnia. The works will leave the palace in the hands of individuals and companies committed to protect them, while generated income will contribute to the efforts of museums in preserving and propagating cultural heritage.
Auction held within the project Figures of Speech. The Architectural Sculpture of Warsaw 1917-1980
Partners: Museum of Warsaw and Fenix Group
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