The exhibition ‘Comic Book’ will be on display from 28 August to 4 September at the DESA Unicum Auction House in Warsaw. It will culminate in an auction of works. The oldest object on display will be a work by Zbigniew Lengren ‘Profesor Filutek’ from 1953. The famous series was published in Przekrój for 55 years. What other works are also worth mentioning?
The exhibition is aimed at fans of Polish comics and collectors of original illustrations. Polish comics has a long tradition. Already after Poland regained its independence in 1918, stories appeared in the Polish press which dealt humorously with social and political issues. In the interwar period, the adventures of Koziołek Matołek created by Kornel Makuszyński and Marian Walentynowicz enjoyed popularity. After World War II, the authorities of the time saw comic strips as being influenced by American pop culture, which is why this form of artistic expression was reduced to a symbol of bad taste and trash. Despite the negative campaign, Polish artists developed the comic strip, and the first series of album editions appeared in the 1960s. Of course, at first comic strip creators were careful to maintain ideological conformity with the prevailing requirements, but by the 1970s they could afford to be more daring.
The announced exhibition offers the opportunity to see original boards, covers and drawings from the best comic stories, as well as illustrations for children’s books and satirical magazines. At the exhibition’s crowning auction, “Comic Book Charts and Illustration”, it will be possible to bid on works created by: Henryk Chmielewski, Tadeusz Baranowski, Marek Szyszka, Mieczysław Wiśniewski, Jerzy Skarżyński, Janusz Christa or Grzegorz Rosiński. Among the works on display are the cult series of adventures of Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek or Captain Kloss.
A real treat are the works of Chmielewski: the cover of “Tytus, Romek i A’Tomek. Book VI – Tytus the Olympian’ and a board from ‘Świat Młodych’ (Tytus). The Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek series has accompanied many generations of Poles. It was published from 1957 to 2021, making it the longest-running Polish comic strip in history. Interestingly, the titular Tytus did not accompany the characters from the beginning. The first issue of the series from October 1957, which appeared in the 85th issue of ‘Świat Młodych’, was published under the title Romek and A’Tomek. Tytus only joined the heroes in the second edition.
Each board is the only copy of the design for the corresponding page of a given issue, and thus constitutes a rarity for fans of comics,” reads the DESA Unicum website.
It will also be possible to see works by the younger generation. Here it is worth pointing out the names: Andrzej Janicki, Krzysztof Gawronkiewicz, Ryszard Dąbrowski, Maciej Mazur, Daniel Grzeszkiewicz, Aleksandra Spanowicz, Roman Maciejewski or Przemysław Truściński.
The Polish collectors’ market is growing intensively and fans are eager to buy unique copies of editions. This is especially true for adults, who are looking for old boards they know from their childhood. Over the years, old book illustrations become less available, which increases their value. The growing popularity is evidenced by the record price of a work from the ‘Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek’ series, which sold for PLN 75,000 at an auction at DESA Unicum in 2015.
You can find out the list of 90 objects and the estimated value on the official website: HERE.
“Boards and Comic Illustration”
DESA Unicum
Piękna 1A, Warsaw
Exhibition: 28 August 2024 – 4 September 2024
source: DESA Unicum
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