Andrzej Baturo facts for kids
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Andrzej Baturo (born May 16, 1940, in Vilnius – died June 9, 2017) was a very talented Polish artist and photographer. He was also a great organizer of many important photography events, a publisher, and the main director of the FotoArtFestival in Bielsko-Biała. He also started and led the Foundation Centre of Photography. He helped many photographers and shared his love for art with the world.
Early Photography Career
Andrzej Baturo started his journey in photography in the 1960s. He was one of the people who helped create the Warmia-Mazuria Photographical Society in Olsztyn. This showed his early passion for bringing photographers together.
Working as a Photojournalist
In the 1970s, Andrzej became a busy photojournalist. This means he took pictures for newspapers and magazines like "Na Przełaj," "Razem," "itd.," and "Polityka." His work was so good that he was named "Photojournalist of a Year" twice, in 1973 and 1975. He even won a special prize from the Minister of Education for his work with the magazine "Na Przełaj."
He was also very active in the Union of Polish Artists Photographers. He served as the Secretary and later as the Vice-President of the main group in Warsaw. He also started a local branch of this Union in Bielsko-Biała and led it for many years.
Organizing Big Photo Events
Andrzej Baturo was known for organizing huge photography events.
Mountain Photography and Exhibitions
In the 1980s, he started the Mountain Division of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers in Bielsko-Biała. He loved mountain landscapes and later started taking many photos of them himself. He won a Golden Prize at the Biennale of Polish Landscape in Kielce for his beautiful mountain pictures.
He organized an international meeting for mountain photographers in Zakopane and Wisła. He also put together an exhibition called "Between Sky, Between Earth" in Bielsko-Biała. His work was recognized internationally when he won the Grand Prix and First Prize at a famous Festival of Mountain Image in Antibes, France.
Documentary Photography Surveys
Andrzej was the main organizer for two big "Surveys of Polish Documentary Photography" in Bielsko-Biała. These were some of the largest photo events in Poland at the time. He also helped create a large exhibition of documentary photography called "Strike on Podbeskidzie." This exhibition was very important, but it was closed by the government's censorship after only eight days.
Running Galleries and Publishing
He created and managed the Bielsko Gallery of Photography. In the 1990s, he started the Baturo Publishing House, which specialized in books about photography. His publishing house won many awards for its books. He also ran the Gallery of Photography B&B.
Awards and Recognition
Andrzej Baturo received many awards and honors throughout his career.
Prizes for Press Photography
He won many prizes for his photo-reportages (stories told through pictures) in Polish press photography contests:
- First Prize: For "As long as Poland..." (1973) and "Action Rot-gut" (1975).
- Second Prize: For "The First Day" (1975) and "Removal" (1976).
- Third Prize: For "Press Fest" (1974) and "Kuszko Estate" (1977).
He also won special prizes from different weekly magazines for his photo-reportages, including:
- "Motocross" (1961) from "Panorama."
- "Methamorphosis of Maja Komorowska" (1972) from "Ekran."
- "Mature Exam" (1973) from "Dookoła Świata."
- "Men's Fashion" (1973) from "Express Wieczorny."
- "The Bieszczads 40" (1974) from "Dookoła Świata."
- "Let's Kiss" (1974) from "Zwierciadło."
- "The First Day" (1974) from "Nowa Wieś."
Important Solo Exhibitions
Andrzej Baturo had many solo exhibitions where his own photographs were shown. Some of these included:
- "Associations" in Olsztyn and Warsaw (1967).
- "Poland - goal!" in Warsaw (1974).
- "To see sharply" in Gorzów Wielkopolski (1978) and Wałbrzych (1980).
- "Inventory" in Bielsko-Biała (1987).
- "The World of Mountains" at the III International Festival of Mountain Films in Katowice (1992).
- "Photography" in Macon, France (1994).
- "Between the lines..." in Bielsko-Biała (2002).
- "In the Face of a Moment" in Łódź (2003).
He also created photo albums like "The Beskids" and "Cieszyn." His work was featured in other books such as "Polish Mountains," "Bielsko-Biała," "Masters of Polish Landscape," "Anthology of Polish Photography," and "Pages from Polish Photography."
Prizes for His Books and Art
His album "The Beskids" won important awards:
- The Jantar Book prize for the most beautiful book of the year (1995).
- A prize from the Society of Polish Book Publishers (1995).
Other important prizes he received include:
- The Ikar 2005 prize from the President of Bielsko-Biała City for his contributions to culture.
- The Minister of Culture's annual prize for outstanding achievements in visual arts. This was the first time a photographer in Poland received this award.
- The Gloria Artis order from the Ministry of Culture, a very high honor.
Andrzej Baturo's photographs are kept in important collections, including the National Museum in Wrocław and the Museum of the History of Photography in Cracow.
See Also
- List of Polish photographers
