Dimensions: 28.5 x 12 x 3 cm
signed and dated on the bottom: 'Zbigniew | Makowski | 1961'
Provenance
private collection, Poland
Biography
He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (1950–56). He explored various fields of study: mathematics, Eastern culture, and was passionate about Kabbalah. By combining symbols, numbers, and letters in his compositions, he achieved symbolic and surrealistic effects. He participated in the 3rd Exhibition of Modern Art in Warsaw in 1959. He is a recipient of the Cyprian Kamil Norwid Art Critics’ Award. In 1956, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (Kazimierz Tomorowicz’s studio). In 1962, he stayed in France and participated in the exhibition “Le Mouvement Surréaliste et le Mouvement Phases” in Paris. He practices surrealist art, reflecting his fascination with esoteric knowledge. In the 1960s, he composed his paintings using magical signs, symbols, and props, as well as aphorisms and longer texts. In the 1970s and 1980s, he painted esoteric and magical landscapes, usually depicting fragments of ancient architecture, above which symbolic objects float: “Vale ergo polia, Et ibam in profundis.” He received the C.K. Norwid Art Critics’ Award and the J. Cybis Awards.
