Wiesław Adamski facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Wiesław Adamski

Born	Wiesław Adamski (1947-07-26)26 July 1947 Wierzchowo, Poland
Died	10 February 2017(2017-02-10) (aged 69) Wałcz, Poland
Resting place	Szczecinek, Poland
Nationality	Polish
Education	State High School of Fine Arts in Szczecin University of Fine Arts in Poznań, Poland
Known for	Sculpture, painting, metalwork, blacksmithing, drawing, scenic design, interior design
Notable work	The monument of Józef Piłsudski in Szczecinek, Poland "Potato" statue in Biesiekierz, Poland The Steps to the White House "King's Head" Monument in Biesiekierz, Poland Triptych Leon's life in Three Acts: 1. Latrine, 2. Office (Bureau), 3. Asylum Daily life in Dachau Idea. Dante's vehicle " Winged
Movement	Abstract art, figurative art
Awards	"Griffin for his Children" (Gryf swoim dzieciom), Szczecin, Poland, 2002 "Honorary Silver Badge of West Pomeranian Griffin" (Odznaka Honorowa Gryfa Zachodniopomorskiego), 2012

Wiesław Adamski (born July 26, 1947 – died February 10, 2017) was a famous Polish sculptor. He was born in Wierzchowo, Poland. Adamski was known for his amazing sculptures, paintings, and metalwork. He created art that was shown all over the world.

About Wiesław Adamski's Life
- Adamski's Artistic Achievements
Wiesław Adamski's Early Life
- Adamski's Art Education
Wiesław Adamski's Artistic Style
Art Exhibitions in Poland
International Art Exhibitions
Awards and Recognition
Adamski's Diverse Creative Work
Last Years of Wiesław Adamski's Life
What People Said About the Artist
Selected Works by Wiesław Adamski
Images for kids
See also

About Wiesław Adamski's Life

Wiesław Adamski lived in Szczecinek for many years. He studied art at the State High School of Fine Arts in Szczecin. Later, he went to the Sculpture Department at the University of Fine Arts in Poznań. He became an expert in creating small sculptures, medals, and portraits. He also loved blacksmithing, which is shaping metal with heat and tools.

Adamski was more than just a sculptor. He was an art teacher, a caricaturist (someone who draws funny pictures of people), and an illustrator for books and magazines. His art was displayed in many big cities. These included Helsinki, Berlin, Madrid, Washington DC, and Paris. You can find his artworks in museums and galleries. Some are in the Erasmus Gallery in Rotterdam and the National Museum in Warsaw.

He created many important pieces. One famous work is a giant potato monument in Biesiekierz. It's almost 4 meters tall! He also made medals for the 700th anniversary of Szczecinek. He even designed an eagle symbol for a court building in Szczecin.

Adamski's Artistic Achievements

One of Adamski's most important artworks was a three-part sculpture called "Leon's life in Three Acts." This piece was shown at a big European exhibition in Rotterdam. It was displayed next to works by famous artists like Rembrandt and Rubens.

Adamski won many awards for his art. He won the Polish National Biennale of Small Sculptural Forms twice. This was a very important art competition in Poland. He also received scholarships from the Minister of Culture and Art. In 1979, he won "The Seahorse" award for his sculpture "Shipyard." He also won prizes for protecting the environment with his art. Many of his sculptures were bought by museums around the world. For example, "Pegasus for sale" is in the National Museum in Bratislava. His sculpture "The Steps to the White House" was even sold to the President of the United States!

The potato monument in Biesiekierz was once called the largest potato in the world by people in America. It's now even part of the local coat of arms! Adamski received the "Accomplished for Culture" award three times. He was a member of important art groups, like the Association of Polish Artists. His work was celebrated in an exhibition after he passed away.

Wiesław Adamski's Early Life

Wiesław Adamski's parents, Janina and Tadeusz Adamscy, came from the Warsaw area. During World War II, his parents helped a Jewish woman. This was very brave. After the war, his family moved to northern Poland. There, they ran a meat factory and a butcher shop. Wiesław Adamski was born in Wierzchowo in 1947.

He often visited his grandfather, who was also an artist. He spent his early childhood in places like Magdalenka and Pieczyska. In 1951, his family moved to Szczecinek. He started primary school early, at age six.

Even as a young boy, Adamski loved reading. He was interested in books about history, ideas, and old stories. By age seven, he had already read long, famous Polish novels like "The Knights of the Cross" by Henryk Sienkiewicz. He grew up to be a very knowledgeable person with a wide range of interests.

Adamski's Art Education

After primary school, Adamski went to the High School of Art in Lublin. In 1966, he finished his studies at the State High School of Fine Arts in Szczecin. In 1968, he began studying at the University of Fine Arts in Poznań. His teachers included famous professors like Olgierd Truszczyński. He graduated with honors in 1973.

Adamski was one of the most talented students at the university. He already had several successful art shows. Other students at the university even called him "Michael Angelo" because of his skill! He was asked to stay at the university to do scientific work, but he chose to focus on his art. In 1975, he joined the ZPAP art group.

Wiesław Adamski's Artistic Style

Adamski loved to create art using natural materials. He often worked with metal, granite, bronze, wood, and marble. He started his art career as a painter. His very first painting, made in the early 1970s, showed the garden of his parents' home.

Like many sculptors, he admired the famous artist Michelangelo. But he was also very inspired by the English sculptor Henry Spencer Moore. Adamski even helped move Moore's sculptures for an exhibition when he was a student. Moore's art, which mixed realistic shapes with abstract forms, greatly influenced Adamski. This influence can be seen in Adamski's sculpture called "Antigone."

Adamski was interested in how shapes and forms could tell a story. His sculptures often used metaphors, which are symbols that represent deeper meanings. His art showed the truth about people and the world they create. Adamski believed that God, who created the world and nature, was the greatest inspiration for artists. He once said, "The first sculptor in the world was God."

He saw nature as a perfect work of art. This idea is clear in his sculptures of ants. These include "Agony," "Concert," "Desire," and "Searching for Life."

Art Exhibitions in Poland

Wiesław Adamski's art was shown in many exhibitions across Poland. Here are some of them:

1979 – Szczecin – Young Artists of the Coast
1979 – Szczecin – "Seahorse"
1981 – Koszalin-Słupsk – "Work of the Year"
1983 – Biennale of Small Sculptural Forms – Poznań
1983 – Spring Salon – Koszalin
1985 – Biennale of Small Sculptural Forms – Poznań
1986 – Triennial of Portrait Sculpture – Sopot
1986 – Spring Salon – Koszalin
1987 – Art Confrontations of Northern Poland – Elbląg
1987 – Winter Salon – Warsaw
1987 – Interart – Poznań
1989 – Zachęta – Warsaw, National Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture
1989 – Triennial of Portrait Sculpture – Sopot
1989 – Koszalin – Baltic Theater – individual exhibition
1996 – European Laboratory of Art – Tuchomie
1997 – Figure of the Sculptors – Orońsko
1998 – Near and distant – Szczecinek
1999 – Summary of the 20th Century Sculpture – Orońsko
1999 – Individual exhibition of one sculpture – PKO – Szczecin
2000 – National Sculpture Exhibition (Environmental Protection)
2002 – BWA – Szczecin, 30th anniversary of the author's creation (individual exhibition)
2002 – Gallery of the Szczecin Center of Culture ART "Exhibition after years"
2004 – Open-Air – the Oncological Hospital in Golęcin, Szczecin
2008 – Sculpture Exhibition of the Szczecin-Włocławek Environment
2002 – International Open Air in Buk
2018 – In Memoriam, exhibition at the Regional Museum in Szczecinek on the first anniversary of artist's death

International Art Exhibitions

Adamski's work was also shown in many countries outside of Poland:

1974 – Neubrandenburg, outdoor sculpture "Swallow"
1978 – Washington, "The Steps to the White House"
1980 – Centro Dantesco, Ravenna, "Dante's carriage"
1982 – Centro Dantesco, Ravenna, "Saint Francis and Dante"
1983 – Tbilisi, Baku, Poltava, participation in exhibitions of small forms
1987 – Erasmus University of Rotterdam – Polish Art, "The Bridge Linking East and West"
1988 – Stadsmuseum Woerden, "Tentoonstelling Poolse Kunst – 1988"
1988 – "Brug tussen Oost en West", Hedendaagse Poolse Kunst 1988
1988 – Budapest – Galerie Vigado Lengyel Kispla Sztika
1990 – Museum oud – Rijnsburg
1997 – Hungary (Balaton) "Acrobats" outdoor sculpture
1997 – Participation in the Biennale in Ravenna, in the years 1973–1996
1997 – Dante in Poland
1998 – "Close and Far Away" – Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands
2007 – Exhibitions of the Szczecin Environment in Swerin, Neubrandenburg, Unde Miinde

Awards and Recognition

Wiesław Adamski received many awards for his artistic talent:

1979 – I Seahorse Award for the sculpture "Shipyard", Szczecin
1981 – III Biennale of Small Sculptural Forms – Poznań, "Apotheosis of Power"
1981 – Work of the Year for the sculpture "The Bird", Koszalin (audience award)
1985 – 5th Biennale of Small Sculptural Forms, "The Steps to the White House", Poznań
1985 – Work of the Year, "Birth of Life", Koszalin-Słupsk (including a prize for a drawing)
2000 – I prize of the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Szczecin, for the sculpture "Agony"
2012 – Honorary Silver Badge of West Pomeranian Griffin (Szczecinek)

Adamski's Diverse Creative Work

Adamski's talent went far beyond just painting and sculpture. He was a truly versatile artist. He created huge sculptures and tiny ones, including statuettes and plaques. He also made medals and portraits.

In metalwork, he designed and made many useful and beautiful items. These included lamps, chandeliers, and signs for places like the Szczecinek Cultural Center. He created forged flags for castles and bas-reliefs (sculptures that stick out from a flat surface) of eagles for court buildings. He also made decorative balustrades, doors, and forged gates. For churches, he crafted roadside shrines, altars, and crosses.

Adamski was also skilled in interior and exterior design. He planned spaces, designed furniture, and worked with stone. He even designed roof structures, kiosks, and gazebos. He created beautiful fountains like "Two Bream" and "The Sturgeon" in Szczecinek. He also made artistic tombstones and chapels. Besides all this, he drew many sketches and created illustrations for books and newspapers.

Last Years of Wiesław Adamski's Life

Wiesław Adamski created art for over 40 years. Many of his works still decorate his hometown and other cities in Poland. He made a monument of Józef Piłsudski and a plaque remembering the Katyn massacre. He also designed fountains for the city promenade and Halberds for the City Hall. He even created a special door for the Szczecinek Cultural Center, which a famous writer called "The Gate to the Temple of Art."

In 2016, Adamski closed his sculpture and metalwork workshop. After that, he focused on being a cartoonist and caricaturist. He also taught drawing and painting, and many talented artists learned from him. Adamski also worked with a friend to help make life better for people by simplifying rules and dealing with officials. His sculpture, "Citizen Włapko", became a symbol against problems with rules and officials.

Adamski had a dream to finish a series of figurines that showed the truth about people in a funny, exaggerated way. He started this series with "Epigram with a Pear" in the 1980s. Wiesław Adamski passed away on February 10, 2017, at the age of 69. He was buried in Szczecinek, as he wished. His last unfinished work was a model for "The Battle of Kępa Oksywska."

What People Said About the Artist

Many people admired Wiesław Adamski's work and talent. The painter Wiesława Markiewicz said that Adamski was known as someone who "knew a lot about technology." She added, "He was admired and treated in a masterful way."

Stanisław Biżek described Adamski as a "unique talent, a great artist. A beautiful figure."

Ryszard Kul noted that Adamski had a great ability to imagine the shape and size of his sculptures. He said, "Adamski creates his sculptures not based on 'what will I get out of it,' but based on what the creator wanted to achieve." Kul also mentioned that Adamski was a master of bas-reliefs, where he could truly capture the character of a person.