Sculpture for a Wall Unit

Ceramic penguins, monkeys, strongmen, and sex bombs adorned wall units in Polish homes for almost the entire period of the Polish People's Republic. These unique porcelain "chamber sculptures" became a sensation abroad and still delight design enthusiasts today. Their designs were developed in the mid-1950s at the Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego in Warsaw by a team of designers, including Henryk Jędrasiak, Mieczysław Naruszewicz, Hanna Orthwein, and Lubomir Tomaszewski.

Several hundred ceramic models depicting people and animals were characterized by modern sculptural modeling and non-imitative painted decoration. The designs were created with mass production in mind. They were intended to be accessible to individual customers wishing to arrange their homes according to the latest trends in art and design. Modern figurines were produced in large numbers by all porcelain factories in Poland between 1956 and 1965.

The exhibition will present a collection from the National Museum in Warsaw's collection. It is unique because it consists entirely of original prototypes created under the personal supervision of the four outstanding designers at the Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego. They created the characteristic, widely imitated style and produced the most exquisite models. Viewers will be able to admire the sculptural nature of the works and the original language of forms created by their makers.

The exhibition is accompanied by a rich program of events and a special thematic path. We encourage you to explore the additional materials!

Curator: Kaja Muszyńska

Co-financed by the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage

Exhibition partner:

Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego

Patrons of the National Museum in Warsaw:

PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna ORLEN

Cooperation:

AkzoNobel