Exhibition: “Migrations” in the National Museum
An exhibition of painting, sculpture and goldsmith works created in Silesia, and of artefacts commissioned in other European locations from 1440 to 1520.
An exhibition of painting, sculpture and goldsmith works created in Silesia, and of artefacts commissioned by local inhabitants in other European locations from 1440 to 1520.
‘The title of this exhibition highlights the factor which played a decisive role in the specificity of Silesian towns, especially Wrocław, and the nature of local artistic output,’ says the curator, Dr. Agnieszka Patała. ‘Indeed, the title migrants were the artists who left us really exceptional works that today are the pride and joy of many art collections in Poland and abroad. They arrived in Silesia from distant lands and settled in this region, establishing workshops that gave employment to a few other artisans, and worked on many commissions – often from faraway places.
Among them were such artists as Wilhelm Kalteysen von Oche (whose revolutionary Altar of St. Barbara made in 1447 has been deservedly described as a “comet on the Silesian firmament”), and Jakob Beinhart, a talented and influential artist and entrepreneur originating from Bavarian Swabia, distinguished for their familiarity with the most important trends of the time, who created works able to elevate Silesian art to the artistic forefront of the cultural heritage of what is now Poland, in the 15th and the early 16th century.’ Silesian artists migrated, too; like goldsmith Erasmus Schleupner, they developed their talents in foreign centres, making use of the patronage of Wroclaw bishops.
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Naturally this phenomenon was not limited only to the period of 1440–1520, yet the Museum has in its possession several documented sources and some surviving artefacts from that time. They often allow us to analyse very precisely the essence of such migrations, follow their stages, understand the motivation of a migrant (an artist or a client) and finally, read their intentions, the functioning and the influence exercised on the viewer of the created works.’
Migrations. Late Gothic Art in Silesia
9th October – 30th December 2018
Curator: Dr. Agnieszka Patała, the Institute of History of Art, the University of Wrocław
