A record-breaking sum of PLN 22.2 million was raised at yesterday’s auction of ‘Jacek Malczewski and His Epoch’ at DESA Unicum in Warsaw. The painting ‘Reality’ returned to the auction house after two and a half years, beating the record it set in 2022. At that time, the painting was sold for PLN 20.4 million.
Thursday’s auction will go down in the history of the Polish art market for a long time. In addition to works by Malczewski, works by modernist, symbolist and Young Poland artists will go under the hammer. These include works by such masters as Julian Fałat, Wojciech Weiss, Teodor Axentowicz and Jan Stanisławski.
The fifth object auctioned was the painting ‘Rzeczywistość’ by Jacek Malczewski. The bidding started dynamically, and although the auction lasted only a few minutes, each successive bid caused more and more excitement among those present in the room and online viewers. In the end, the painting was auctioned for PLN 18.5 million. After adding the auction fee of 20 per cent, the new owner will pay a total of PLN 22.2 million. In doing so, the Malczewski painting broke its own record from more than two and a half years ago.
This auction is not only a financial success, but above all a confirmation that the Polish art market is mature and can function on a par with the most important European markets. We have been building its foundations for years, consistently raising the bar and introducing the highest standards,” says Agata Szkup, CEO of DESA Unicum.
Turbulent fate of the painting
Jacek Malczewski’s work was considered lost for almost a century, known only from a black and white reproduction. It was not until 2021 that it unexpectedly appeared on an international auction portal. The following year, the owner of ‘Reality’ entrusted the sale of the painting to DESA Unicum. Even before the auction began, in November 2022, the public prosecutor’s office secured the canvas as a result of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage’s suspicions regarding its legal status. The auction house, which carried out a thorough verification, denied these allegations for more than two years. In March this year, DESA Unicum announced a court ruling in favour of the auction house, which led to the recovery of the painting.
We knew that this decision would arouse great excitement in the market. As the auction showed, ‘Rzeczywistość’, nearly 3 years later, is still highly coveted by collectors and has broken another record. Once again, we have succeeded in setting a new benchmark for the art market in Poland. It is not only a question of results, but first and foremost of raising quality, confidence and consistency in building a mature, ambitious market,” says Juliusz Windorbski, President of the Supervisory Board of DESA Unicum.
Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929) is one of the most important Polish painters of the turn of the 19th and 20th century and a key figure of the Symbolist trend. His work was characterised by deep patriotism, mysticism and references to Polish tradition and folklore, resulting in a unique artistic language, full of symbols and multi-layered meanings.
source: DESA Unicum
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