Known as a city of artists, this resort is associated with rest, relaxation, and entertainment, considered a style icon. Sopot is also a place that offers numerous artistic experiences, partly thanks to the works of art present throughout the city.
Sopot's eclectic architectural landscape is home to numerous works of art. Dozens of sculptures of diverse styles and themes can be seen in urban settings, in various locations throughout the city—parks, squares, gardens, plazas, and streets. These include monuments and plaques commemorating extraordinary figures or commemorating heroic and momentous events and deeds. There are works of both realistic and abstract forms, crafted in various materials, such as bronze, marble, granite, metal, and plastic. They have been installed in urban spaces since the 1970s, following the trend of composing contemporary works of art in public spaces, popular in the 1960s and 1970s. For years, the city has held a competition for a sculpture for Sopot. Many sculptural works were created during the International Granite Sculpture Open-Air Festival in Wdzydze Kiszewskie, often organized with the support of the Sopot City Hall. These efforts continue today, as the city acquires new works of art that fit into the Sopot landscape. In this regard, it is supported by ERGO Hestia, which has established itself as a patron of the arts over the years, most recently by organizing the Baltic Horizons sculpture competition. Recently, Sopot residents have been able to admire several new works co-financed by the Polish Sculpture Center in Orońsko's "Sculpture in Public Spaces for an Independent Poland" program. In open-air events, art becomes closer to every passerby; it is practically at arm's length, shortening the distance between the viewer and the work. It is worth following the trail of Sopot sculptures, noticing them anew and examining them closely.
Pink granite became the material for Ewa Beyer-Formela's sculpture "Generation." The work was created in the late 1970s in Wdzydze Kiszewskie during a sculptural workshop. In a large boulder, the sculptor isolated shapes that can be interpreted as two conjoined human silhouettes. The larger one seems to "transmit" the baggage of her experiences to the smaller one.
Ewa Beyer-Formela was born in Kartuzy in 1935. She has repeatedly emphasized the influence her upbringing in Kashubia had on her later artistic choices. Nature was particularly close to the artist, serving as an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In 1960, she defended her thesis under the supervision of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She participated in the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. She created outdoor and small-scale sculptures in granite, marble, wood, metal, and ceramics. She also worked with drawing, watercolor, and pastel. The Sopot artist passed away in 2022.
Author: Ewa Beyer-Formela (1935-2022)
Date: 1976
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
A monumental boulder with an outlined spiral ornament holds a secret locked in stone. It is part of Ewa Beyer-Formela's series of works with the metaphorical title "Seals of Time," which refers to the history of local granite. Brought by a glacier millions of years ago, it remains in the Kashubian landscape as a silent witness to the Earth's history. It comes in many colors and varieties, and artists recognize its timeless beauty and distinctive formal qualities.
Ewa Beyer-Formela was born in 1935 in Kartuzy. She has repeatedly emphasized the influence her upbringing in Kashubia had on her later artistic choices. Nature was particularly close to the artist, serving as an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In 1960, she defended her thesis under the supervision of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She participated in the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. She created outdoor and small-scale sculptures in granite, marble, wood, metal, and ceramics. She also worked in drawing, watercolor, and pastel. The Sopot artist passed away in 2022.
Author: Ewa Beyer-Formela (1935-2022)
Date: 1993
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
Hanna Brzuszkiewicz's rusty, majestic cat silhouette towers over the greenery of the square. The sculpture is characterized by a compact, strong form with schematically outlined shapes. Dignified and mysterious, it evokes the feline figures of ancient Egypt. It is preserved in a seemingly fragile ceramic material, yet compared to other clay products, stoneware is characterized by a significantly greater hardness.
The artist studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and, from 1955 to 1957, at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, in the studio of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski. She also explored the secrets of ceramic art under the supervision of Professor Hanna Żuławska, whose studio became the foundation of a major center for contemporary ceramics in Poland. Ceramics is the most important field of Hanna Brzuszkiewicz's work. From 1958 to 2001, she taught sculpture and ceramics at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. She participated in international ceramics exhibitions organized in Sopot and Gdańsk, and in 1973 received a Cultural Scholarship from the Italian Government. She lives in Toruń.
Funded by the Polish Sculpture Center in Orońsko's own program, "Sculpture in Public Space for an Independent Poland – 2022," from the budget of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Project title: "Stanisław Horno-Popławski (1902-1997) on the 120th Anniversary of His Birth and the Hornian Women."
Author: Hanna Brzuszkiewicz (1934-)
Date: 1965
Material: stoneware
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
Stanisław Horno-Popławski first captured this portrait of a teenage girl holding a dog in her arms in 1935 in plaster, which was later covered with patina. For its subsequent incarnation – in bronze – the artist received an award at the First National Sculpture Salon in Warsaw in 1937. The work, once displayed in the Brühl Palace, was lost. In 1957, the artist made a cast of it, which, 65 years later, was placed in Sopot's North Park. The naturally depicted figure of the girl cradling the dog perfectly conveys the tender mood of the scene. The sculptor perfectly balanced the composition, in which the dog's dynamic leap stabilizes the strong embrace of its owner. The subject matter of the work reflects the artist's special relationship with nature and his love for animals. Stanisław Horno-Popławski, one of the most important Polish sculptors, was born in 1902 in the Caucasus, the grandson of an exile after the January Uprising. He studied at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. He began his artistic career in 1926, and in 1932 became a lecturer and professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. He moved frequently throughout his life. After a wartime stint in an Oflag, he became a professor at the School of Fine Arts in Białystok. He then took up the Department of Sculpture at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, before moving to Gdańsk. During the reconstruction of Gdańsk's Old Town, he was the chief designer of the sculptural decorations of the reconstructed tenement houses. From 1949 to 1970, he ran a sculpture studio and served as dean of the Faculty of Sculpture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. For many years, he was associated with Sopot, with a five-year break to work in Bydgoszcz. He passed away in 1997.
Funded by the Polish Sculpture Center in Orońsko's own program, "Sculpture in Public Spaces for an Independent Poland – 2022," from the budget of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Project title: "Stanisław Horno-Popławski (1902-1997) on the 120th anniversary of his birth and the Hornianka family."
Author: Stanisław Horno-Popławski (1902-1997)
Date: 1935 / 1957
Material: plaster
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
In Memory of the Courier Women of World War II, created by Stanisław Horno-Popławski. With two granite boulders, the sculptor carved the symbolically depicted figure of a girl directly into the hard stone. The figure is highlighted in a block of matter that flows from the woman, revealing her breast. The artist reveals the smoothness of the body and the roughness of the fabric through various surface treatments. The poetic expression of this portrait of the Courier is subtly emphasized by the delicately accentuated outlines of the eyes, nose, and mouth. The unnatural tilt of her head and the closed eyelids suggest her primal immersion in a sleep from which she may never awaken.
The artist, one of the most important Polish sculptors, was born in 1902 in the Caucasus, the grandson of an exile after the January Uprising. He studied at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. His artistic career began in 1926, and in 1932, he became a lecturer and professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. His life is a remarkable one. After a wartime stint in an Oflag, he was a professor at the School of Fine Arts in Białystok. He then held the Department of Sculpture at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, and then moved to Gdańsk. During the reconstruction of Gdańsk's Old Town, he was the executive designer of the reconstruction of tenement houses. From 1949 to 1970, he ran a sculpture studio and served as dean of the Faculty of Sculpture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He spent years in Sopot, with a five-year break to work in Bydgoszcz. He passed away in 1997.
Author: Stanisław Horno-Popławski (1902-1997)
Date: 1968
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
Stanisław Horno-Popławski created the expressive sculpture "Running Woman" in 1966. He used a unique material called artificial stone. The headless, slender silhouette of the running figure is captured synthetically, as if frozen with its left leg raised in motion. The figure harmoniously fits into the Sopot landscape.
Stanisław Horno-Popławski, one of the most important Polish sculptors, was born in 1902 in the Caucasus, the grandson of an exile after the January Uprising. He studied at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. He began his artistic career in 1926, and in 1932 became a lecturer and professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. He moved frequently throughout his life. After a war in an Oflag, he became a professor at the School of Fine Arts in Białystok. He then took up the Department of Sculpture at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, before moving to Gdańsk. During the reconstruction of Gdańsk's Old Town, he was the main designer of the sculptural decoration of the reconstructed tenement houses. From 1949 to 1970, he ran a sculpture studio and served as Dean of the Faculty of Sculpture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. For many years, he was associated with Sopot, with a five-year break to work in Bydgoszcz. He passed away in 1997.
Author: Stanisław Horno-Popławski (1902-1997)
Date: 1966
Material: artificial stone
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
Tadeusz Fołtyn created this work of extraordinary form and meaning for Sopot in 2005, dedicating it to artists who have made particularly distinguished contributions to Sopot culture. The sculpture, titled "Hasior's Breath," is a tribute to the work of one of Poland's most original artists, Władysław Hasior. The multi-story, colorful metal structure resembles a fanciful chariot with three enormous wheels. The hull of a galleon, topped with a knight's helmet at the prow, rests on the rims. Instead of masts, ladders and crosses climb from the ship toward the sky. He anchored the dynamic vehicle on a granite slab adorned with metal plaques bearing the names of distinguished artists of Sopot.
Tadeusz Fołtyn was born in Gdynia in 1936. After the war, he settled in Sopot, where he lived until his death in 2019. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Gdańsk University of Technology in 1962. He primarily worked with metal, also employing enamel techniques. He created bas-reliefs and sculptures forged in metal, as well as small sculptural forms, abstract and realistic compositions. He has decorated numerous sacred interiors and public buildings in Poland. His works are found in numerous museums in Europe, Africa, and America. He is the creator of another famous sculpture in Sopot, depicting the figure of the "Umbrella Man."
Author: Tadeusz Fołtyn (1936-2019)
Date: 2005
Material: steel
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
A seemingly ordinary stone block surprises with its intriguing portrait angle. A close examination of the sculpture reveals a woman's face turned upwards, towards the sun. This is suggested by the characteristic head position and closed eyelids. Over time, the facial features have become somewhat blurred. This sculpture was created during a sculpture workshop in Wdzydze Kiszewskie in the late 1970s. The artist said that he carved in stones because they held the essence of life. They were a part of nature, a nature that constantly fascinated him.
Michał Gałkiewicz was born in Zgierz in 1932. He was one of the most renowned and respected sculptors in Łódź. From 1951 to 1956, he studied at the State Higher School of Fine Arts (graduating in 1959), where he later became the head of the Sculpture Studio. He created small-scale, monumental, and architectural sculptures, working in wood, stone, concrete, ceramics, and metal. He won numerous awards and distinctions at national exhibitions and competitions. He passed away in Łódź in 2020.
Author: Michał Gałkiewicz (1932-2020)
Date: 1976
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The sculptural composition "Ewa & Adam – Relax" depicts two reclining figures carved in granite, with somewhat abstract shapes, depicted in repose. The title alludes to the biblical Eve and Adam from the Garden of Eden. Emilia Kaus's work won first prize in the 1979 sculpture competition for Sopot and was installed in Południowy Park the following year, later being moved to Północny Park.
Emilia Kaus graduated from the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk in 1972. From 1969 to 1972, she co-founded and acted in the experimental student theatre "ą" in Gdańsk. She has twice received scholarships from the Ministry of Culture and Art. Her numerous sculptures are in private collections worldwide, as well as in public spaces in Poland and Germany. She has participated in artistic campaigns related to land art. In addition to sculpture, she is also involved in drawing – traditional, but also innovative, utilizing other techniques, including digital ones. The sculptor is associated with two cities: Gdynia and Bremen in Germany.
Author: Emilia Kaus
Date: 1980
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
"Czółna" is an impressive sculptural composition by Tomasz Krupiński, composed of two forms representing boats abandoned on the shore, juxtaposed diagonally across the square. The elongated, slender shapes give the impression of extraordinary lightness. The installation is made of steel – the boats' hulls are constructed from metal segments, while the titular dugouts were traditionally carved or fired from a single tree trunk. They dynamically cut through the space, and their upturned prows are reminiscent of Viking ships.
Tomasz Krupiński, an artist from Podlasie, graduated from the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Supraśl and studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He currently divides his time between studios in Gdańsk and Cannes. He works in painting, sculpture, and design – furniture and interior design. He uses various materials, such as steel, wood, stone, and resin, to create his works. He designed the interiors of renowned venues in the Tricity area, including SPATiF and Sfinks in Sopot, and Stacja Deluxe in Wrzeszcz. His projects can also be found in Amsterdam, Cannes, Qatar, and many other locations around the world.
Author: Tomasz Krupiński (1968 – )
Date: 2001
Material: steel
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The sculpture "Bimalbi" is the work of Irena Loroch. The majestic statue of a seated lion is not a literal portrait of the king of beasts, but the characteristic lion shapes, such as the massive paws and head surrounded by a lush mane, are clearly accentuated in the sandstone. The work was created in 1974 during the Animalistic Sculpture Plein-Air at the Oliwa Zoo and was funded by the Municipal Municipal and Housing Company in Sopot. The work's mysterious and exotic-sounding title may refer to the first lion at the Oliwa Zoo, named Bim.
Irena Loroch was born in Vilnius in 1931. She studied sculpture under Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She participated in the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk, reconstructing the sculptural architectural features of the Main Town. She sculpted in wood, marble, bronze, and ceramics. She created numerous monuments and outdoor works in the Tricity area, earning a place in Gdynia's memory as the author of the moving work "Thy, co na nieśmierną wachtę" (To the One Who Is on Eternal Watch). She passed away in Gdynia in 2018.
Author: Irena Loroch (1931-2018)
Date: 1974
Material: sandstone
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The statuesque female head with a stern visage was set in granite by Alfons Łosowski. The face was carved from a stone block using angular, almost geometrically designed surfaces. Gravity and dignity, as well as an aura of mystery, characterize this sculptural portrait. The sculpture is likely "Portrait of a Scholar," but is also known as "Medium." Displaying the work on a tall, recessed stone plinth enhances the representation's monumentality.
Alfons Łosowski was born in 1908 in Orkiewicze (now Belarus). He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius, in the studio of Professor Henryk Kuna. During the war, he was a soldier in the Home Army (AK) in the Vilnius District. After the war, he settled in Gdańsk, where he worked on the city's reconstruction, reconstructing sculptures that adorned the facades of the Main Town's tenement houses. From 1955, he devoted himself to individual work in his studio on ul. Mariacka 11/13. Alfons Łosowski is the author of over a dozen outdoor sculptures in Gdańsk and numerous sculptural works located in Poland and abroad, in open-air settings, in public buildings, in museums, and in private collections. The artist died in Gdańsk in 1988.
Author: Alfons Łosowski (1908-1988)
Date: 1968
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The highly stylized "Head of the Crucified" a work by Alfons Łosowski, is reminiscent of sculptures from Romanesque churches. A face with schematically defined features emerges from a stone block. The broadly smiling face is framed by lush, wavy hair, fancifully carved into the stone. In the clearly defined upper section, a shallowly carved zigzag symbolizes a crown of thorns. The artist preferred carving in hard stone, such as granite or basalt, as well as in wood. Eight of his sculptures were exhibited in Sopot's Northern Park.
Alfons Łosowski was born in 1908 in Orkiewicze (now Belarus). He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius, in the studio of Professor Henryk Kuna. During the war, he served in the Home Army (AK) in the Vilnius District. After the war, he settled in Gdańsk, where he worked on the city's reconstruction, reconstructing sculptures that adorned the facades of tenement houses in the Main Town. From 1955, he devoted himself to individual art in his studio at 11/13 Mariacka Street. Alfons Łosowski is the author of over a dozen outdoor sculptures in Gdańsk and numerous sculptural works located in Poland and abroad, in open-air settings, in public buildings, in museums, and in private collections. The artist died in Gdańsk in 1988.
Author: Alfons Łosowski (1908-1988)
Date: 1960s
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The sculpture, titled "Seed," is a vertical form mounted on a second stone block. It was created in granite by Lore Nynnell during an international open-air sculpture workshop in Wdzydze Kiszewskie in 1993, and the artist later donated it to the city of Sopot. The shape, carved from the hard material, acquired a geometric pattern of angular incisions along the edges of the block. The sculptor works primarily in stone, occasionally adding other materials and media such as glass, metal, Plexiglas, water, and light. She emphasizes that her creative process is meditative.
Lore Nynnell was born in Denmark in 1946. She grew up in Brazil and has lived in Sweden since 1982. She graduated from the Meginskolan Art School in Denmark and in Sweden (1976–1982). The artist is also interested in other areas of culture – she has been involved in various theatrical and performance activities, experimental creative projects, and played bass and sang in an avant-garde music band. Raised with a love of nature, she often integrates her sculptural works into their natural surroundings. In her home in Gamleby, she has both a gallery and a sculpture park. Many of the artist's works adorn public spaces and buildings, and are also present in museum and private collections.
Author: Lore Nynnell (1946-)
Date: 1993
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
A small female torso is an intimate form created by Janina Stefanowicz-Schmidt. The subtle representation captivates with its delicacy and naturalness, yet exudes confidence and strength. With a fluid, sinuous line, the artist traces the shape of a seated, headless female figure. The sculpture's smooth, gleaming white surface becomes a playing field for light and shadow. The work reveals the artist's admiration for nature and sensitivity to its beauty.
Janina Stefanowicz-Schmidt was born in Warsaw in 1930. She comes from a family with a multi-generational artistic tradition – among her relatives from the Stefanowicz, Padlewski, and Schmidt families were and still are architects, musicians, painters, sculptors, and poets. She is a graduate student of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski. After studying at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk (today's Academy of Fine Arts), she worked there as a lecturer from 1954 to 2001. In 1976, she founded and ran the Medal and Small Sculptural Forms Studio for many years. She created numerous sculptures for outdoor spaces and interiors, including sacred spaces. For several decades, she actively participated in artistic life in Poland and abroad, from work on the reconstruction of Gdańsk's Main Town to exhibitions, plein-air workshops, and competitions. She has lived in Sopot since 1948.
Funded by the Polish Sculpture Center in Orońsko's own program, "Sculpture in Public Space for an Independent Poland – 2022," from the budget of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Author: Janina Stefanowicz-Schmidt (1930-)
Date: 1964
Material: plaster
This peculiar, at first glance quite abstract form was carved in sandstone by Svetlana Zerling. The artist received an award for this work in the 1979 sculpture competition for the city of Sopot. A closer examination of the shape reveals a symbolic imprint of a human silhouette. This motif preoccupied the artist for many years and she implemented it in various series of works. The full-bodied "Cases": for love, desire, contemplation, good dreams, despair, loneliness, motherhood. In a statement from 1974, she called them "cases for various states and circumstances of our psyche." This series depicted human silhouettes with symbolic holes carved or cut into them. "Perforals" was the next series of works, realized in the 1980s in various materials, in which the usually abstract motif of the imprint of the human silhouette appears. In the meantime, she created relief representations, the most famous of which (many of which have not survived) decorated the Żabianka housing estate in Gdańsk.
Svetlana Zerling was born in 1945 in Kitzbühel, Austria. She studied at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, in the studios of Professors Stanisław Horno-Popławski and Alfred Wiśniewski, where she graduated in 1972. She participated in international ceramics exhibitions. A member of the renowned "Kadyny" group, active in the 1970s, her work encompasses sculpture and ceramics.
Author: Svetlana Zerling (1945-)
Date: 1979
Material: Sandstone
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The sculpture "Fish" was created during the International Sculpture Plein-Air in Wdzydze Kiszewskie in 1993. It was created by Japanese artist Zenichi Yokoyama. The granite block reveals the shapes of a fanciful fish – the outline of a pointed snout, fins, and scales composed of geometric shapes.
Zenichi Yokoyama, an artist born in 1940, graduated from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, where he studied from 1959 to 1965. He devoted the next five years to studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He works in wood, stone, and bronze. He is a member of the Association of Japanese Artists, considered one of the most important Japanese artists. He actively participates in international sculpture plein-airs and symposia. He returned to Poland in 2010 for the Granite Sculpture Symposium in Strzegom.
Author: Yokoyama Zenichi (1940-)
Date: 1993
Material: granite
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
"Two Springs" a monumental sculptural composition nestled in the greenery of Prince Otto Bowien Square, was created by Ewa Beyer-Formela in white marble. The massive structure features two interconnected shapes covered with ornamental ribbons, reminiscent of meandering rivers and flowing water ripples. The work was created during a plein air workshop at the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko in the late 1970s. It was then that the artist first encountered marble from Stronie Śląskie, a material with which she has been fascinated ever since. Before being placed in Południowy Park in Sopot in the 1980s, the sculpture was presented in several exhibitions, including at Warsaw's Zachęta Gallery.
Ewa Beyer-Formela was born in 1935 in Kartuzy. She has repeatedly emphasized the influence that her upbringing in Kashubia had on her later artistic choices. Nature was particularly close to the artist, serving as an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In 1960, she defended her thesis under the supervision of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She participated in the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. She created outdoor and small-scale sculptures in granite, marble, wood, metal, and ceramics. She also worked with drawing, watercolor, and pastel. The Sopot artist passed away in 2022.
Author: Ewa Beyer-Formela (1935-2022)
Year: 1978
Material: marble
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The "Column" sculpted by Ewa Beyer-Formela, nestled in the landscape of Miłosz Square, captivates with its whiteness and unusual form. The artist used "White Marianna" marble – a unique variety of material from Lower Silesia – as her material. The sculpture is an original expression of the idea, a variation on the column as an element of ancient Greek architecture. The column, which supports the structure, evokes associations with antiquity, which forms the foundation of European culture and civilization.
Ewa Beyer-Formela was born in 1935 in Kartuzy. She has repeatedly emphasized the influence her upbringing in Kashubia had on her later artistic choices. Nature was particularly close to the artist, serving as an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In 1960, she defended her thesis under the supervision of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She participated in the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. She created outdoor and small-scale sculptures in granite, marble, wood, metal, and ceramics. She also worked in drawing, watercolor, and pastel. The Sopot-based artist passed away in 2022.
This project was co-financed by the Polish Sculpture Center in Orońsko Program, "Sculpture in Public Space for Independent Poland – 2021."
Author: Ewa Beyer-Formela (1935-2022)
Date: 1980s
Material: marble
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
Mixed Feelings is a massive, shimmering monument formed by two intertwining bronze towers that push and pull apart, spiraling skyward. The swirling masses suggest the immense power of natural energy, while human energy explodes in profile, as perceived by the viewer walking around it. Circling the work, viewers can see human profiles appearing and disappearing. Each form exerts a gravitational pull on the other, creating a unique, pulsating form of energy.
The "Alternative Reality" exhibition at the State Art Gallery in Sopot presents three types of his work. The gallery showcases sculptures and installations made of glass, accompanied by drawings and watercolors. The glass works demonstrate the evolution of the artist's style from the early 1990s to the present. In North Park in Sopot, we present the artist's monumental, iconic sculptures – Points of View, Mixed Feelings, Versus, and Masks – crafted from bronze and stainless steel. Their form lies somewhere between abstract and figurative sculpture and captivates with its meandering, dynamic shapes.
Tony Cragg is one of England's most renowned artists. For over forty years, he has continually strived to find new relationships between people and the material world. He is a master of materials and freely uses various types, including stone, bronze, wood, metal, synthetic materials, and glass. His penchant for experimentation is combined with unfailing perfection in his sculptures.
The exhibition of sculptures and drawings in Sopot is organized in partnership with the Tony Cragg Studio and under the patronage of the British Council, the British Embassy, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the patronage of ERGO Hestia and the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation. Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Cultural Promotion Fund.
Exhibition: May 28–October 15, 2023
Curator: Eulalia Domanowska
Author: Tony Cragg
Date: 2012
Material: bronze
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
"Kora" was created by sculptor Ewa Beyer-Formela, and crafted from "Pink Marianna" marble, a rare variety of stone with a delicate pink hue found in a quarry in the Kłodzko Valley. The sculpture depicts a girl in a long, flowing robe, likely a mythological nymph, daughter of Demeter. Having plucked a daffodil flower sacred to Hades, the unwary Kora is forced to become his wife. Hades abducts her to the underworld, thus forcing her to be separated from her mother, who, unaware of her beloved daughter's fate, continues her search for her.
Ewa Beyer-Formela was born in 1935 in Kartuzy. She has repeatedly emphasized the influence her upbringing in Kashubia had on her later artistic choices. Nature was particularly close to the artist, providing her with an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In 1960, she defended her thesis under the supervision of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She participated in the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. She created outdoor and small-scale sculptures in granite, marble, wood, metal, and ceramics. She also worked in drawing, watercolor, and pastel. The Sopot artist passed away in 2022.
This project was co-financed by the Polish Sculpture Center in Orońsko Program, "Sculpture in Public Space for an Independent Poland – 2021."
Author: Ewa Beyer-Formela (1935-2022)
Date: 1980s
Material: marble
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
"Sculpture in Memory of Krzysztof Koczurowski, Funded by His Family and Friends"
This sculptural female nude, the work of Janina Stefanowicz-Schmidt, depicts a woman's torso in a standing position, from the knees to the neck, headless and armless. It might seem that the statue has been transported to our times from antiquity, and the artist herself suggests such associations in the work's title. "White Venus," also known as "Leaning," was originally cast in plaster in 1960. Recently, it has gained a second incarnation in a material known as artificial stone.
The figure embodies the dignity of ancient statues while simultaneously captivating with its natural beauty and sensuality. Its compact form, with its soft modeling and shape marked by a sinuous line, has perfectly balanced proportions. Although the silhouette is slightly twisted and leans slightly forward, the composition is balanced, radiating peace and harmony. The sculpture of "White Venus," the Roman goddess of love, conveys the universal truth of remaining in timeless awe of the beauty of nature.
Janina Stefanowicz-Schmidt was born in 1930 in Warsaw. She comes from a family with a multi-generational artistic tradition – among her relatives from the Stefanowicz, Padlewski, and Schmidt families were and are architects, musicians, painters, sculptors, and poets. She is a graduate student of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski. After studying at the State Higher School of Visual Arts in Gdańsk (today's Academy of Fine Arts), she worked there as a lecturer from 1954 to 2001. In 1976, she founded and ran the Studio of Medals and Small Sculptural Forms for many years. She is the author of numerous sculptures for outdoor spaces and interiors, including sacred spaces. For several decades, she has been extremely active in artistic life in Poland and abroad, from her work on the reconstruction of Gdańsk's Main Town to exhibitions, plein-air workshops, and competitions. She has lived in Sopot since 1948.
Author: Janina Stefanowicz-Schmidt, "White Venus" / "Tilted,"
Date: original 1960, material: plaster / cast 2023, material: artificial stone
Location: North Park, Mamuszki Avenue / Powstańców Warszawy Street
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The bronze sculpture "Motherhood" (also known as "Mother and Child") by Maria Papa Rostkowska depicts a mother cradling her infant. The flowing, rounded shapes, subtle curves, and convexities of the sculptural form correspond well with the subject matter, expressing the gentleness, patience, and tenderness of motherhood. The representation of the figure balances figurativeness and abstraction.
The artist first explored the theme of motherhood in this way in 1987, when, commissioned by the City of Paris, she created a two-meter-tall sculpture in white marble for the building of the Public Schools Administration (D.A.S.C.O.). Maria Papa sculpted subsequent, smaller versions of "Mother and Child" in pink (ca. 1987) and white (1988) marble, and bronze editions of this sculpture were also created in the 1990s.
In Poland, Maria Papa Rostkowska's sculpture "Motherhood" is also part of the art collection at the Presidential Palace and the Center of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko.
Maria Papa Rostkowska was born in 1923 in Brwinów near Warsaw. She began her art studies in 1942 at the Władysław Jastrzębski School of Architecture in Warsaw. During the war, she and her family helped rescue Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto and also participated in the Warsaw Uprising. After being arrested, she managed to escape from the transport to Auschwitz. For her services, she was awarded the Virtuti Militari medal.
From 1946, she continued her education, studying painting with Felicjan Szczęsny Kowarski at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. After a year, she went to Paris on a scholarship, where she studied under Professor Janusz Strzałecki. From 1949 to 1952, she was an assistant in the painting studio run by a professor at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, located in Sopot. In 1955, she received her diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and in 1957, she moved back to Paris. A year later, Gualtieri married Papa di San Lazzaro, an art critic and owner of one of Paris's leading contemporary art galleries. She soon found herself at the center of the avant-garde, among the most internationally renowned artists and intellectuals. She then became interested in sculpture, initially working in clay and wax, and later almost exclusively in stone, particularly marble. In 1958, she began exhibiting her sculptures in France, Italy, and Switzerland, and in 1966, she became fascinated by the marble quarries in Tuscany, made famous by Michelangelo. She moved to Pietrasanta and devoted herself entirely to sculpture. She was the first woman in the region to independently carve her works in hard sculptural material. Her perfect technique allowed her to achieve stunning results, with sculptures characterized by extraordinary brilliance and smooth surfaces. Maria Papa Rostkowska's works are found in numerous private collections and adorn public buildings around the world. The artist died in Pietrasanta in 2008.
Author: Maria Papa Rostkowska (1923 – 2008)
Date: 1987/2024
Material: gilded bronze
Location: 54.439299, 18.564936
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The stone form, embedded in the greenery, seems to perfectly reflect the work's title: "Close to Nature." The compact, robust form resembles a tangle of rounded, tightly assembled shapes. Its surface is smoothly polished and polished, and the entire composition conveys a sense of softness, physicality, and organicity. The work was created by Teresa Klaman, a sculptor who draws inspiration from observing nature and the stone that is a part of it.
Teresa Klaman was born in Gdańsk in 1948. In 1972, she graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. From 1973 to September 2019, she was a teaching fellow at her alma mater. The artist simultaneously creates works in sculpture and ceramics, and also draws. Teresa Klaman's work is interwoven with themes of urban spaces and imagined architecture, present in the series "Metropolis," "Neighborhood," and "Habitats." Another important series is "Women," captured in both ceramics and stone.
She has participated in numerous symposia and open-air workshops on ceramics and sculpture. She has twice received scholarships from the Ministry of Culture and Art, the Finnish government, and the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation. She has received awards and distinctions. Her works are included in the collections of museums and contemporary art galleries in Gdańsk, Szczecin, Berlin, and Nuremberg, as well as in open-air workshops in Wigry National Park, Grunwald Park near Munich, Düsseldorf, Bickenbach near Darmstadt, Sopot, and Vienna.
Author: Teresa Klaman
Date: 1977
Material: marble
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
Krystyna Filipska-Frejer is the creator of a granite sculpture located in the garden in front of the Sierakowski Manor. The work, known under two titles: "Enchantment" and "Dawn," depicts the torso of a girl with her hands clasped behind her head. The figure stands on an irregular, angularly hewn granite boulder. Her slender, graceful figure and delicate, dreamy facial features are allusive in the stone. The artist created the piece in 1979 for the city of Sopot.
Krystyna Filipska-Frejer was born in 1938 in Rypin. She received her artistic education at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, in the sculpture studio of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski, and in ceramics in the studio of Professor Hanna Żuławska. She reconstructed sculptures during the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk – she created the statue of Fortuna at the top of the Golden Tenement House. Together with her husband, Romuald Frejer, she co-founded the Student Pantomime Theatre of Hands and Objects "Co To," featured in Janusz Morgenstern's 1960 film "Goodbye, See You Tomorrow." Throughout the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, she lived in the United States, where she actively participated in artistic life.
Author: Krystyna Filipska-Frejer
Date: 1979
Material: granite
Location: Sierakowski Manor House, 12 Czyżewskiego Street
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.
The monumental bust of Fryderyk Chopin was created after the death of its creator, Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski, by his former student and later assistant, Albert Zalewski. The portrait of the composer was carved in artificial stone based on a plaster cast of the sculpture. The artist created it in his studio on Chopin Street in Sopot during the final period of his career. In this portrait, Chopin appears deeply engrossed in thought, with clearly defined features and a slightly tilted head. His reflective face is framed by simplified hair. Horno-Popławski frequently sculpted the composer, and this image was placed in a square on Chopin Street.
Stanisław Horno-Popławski, one of the most important Polish sculptors, was born in 1902 in the Caucasus, the grandson of an exile after the January Uprising. He studied at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. He began his artistic career in 1926, and in 1932 became a lecturer and professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. He moved frequently throughout his life. After a wartime stint in an Oflag, he was a professor at the School of Fine Arts in Białystok. He then took up the Department of Sculpture at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, before moving to Gdańsk. During the reconstruction of Gdańsk's Old Town, he was the chief designer of the sculptural decorations of the reconstructed tenement houses. From 1949 to 1970, he ran a sculpture studio and served as Dean of the Faculty of Sculpture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. For years, he was associated with Sopot, with a five-year break to work in Bydgoszcz. He died in 1997.
Albert Zalewski (1933–2008) began his artistic education at the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Białystok. He studied at the Faculty of Sculpture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, graduating in 1960 from the studio of Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski. From 1960 to 2002, he worked at the Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts. Initially, he worked as an assistant to Professor Stanisław Horno-Popławski, then ran the Sculpture Studio for painting and graphic arts, the Fundamentals of Artistic Design, and the Sculpture Studio for first- and second-year students. In 1973, he received his PhD. He served as Vice-Dean from 1987 to 1990, and as Dean of the Faculty of Sculpture from 1990 to 1993. He retired in 1999, continuing to work at the Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts until 2002. He participated in the creation of monuments by Stanisław Horno-Popławski and is the author of outdoor sculptures.
Location: Square on Kościuszki Street/ul. Chopin
Authors: Stanisław Horno-Popławski (1902 – 1997) / Albert Zalewski (1933-2008)
Date and material: "Chopin" 1951, plaster / 1998, artificial stone
Photo: Klaudyna Karczewska-Szymkowiak.
Description: Joanna Szymula-Grygiel.