We invite you to the next lecture in the series Bydgoszcz Academy of Art by Jerzy Brukwicki.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the most popular pieces of furniture in the Polish M-2, M-3, M-4 flats were the wall units by Bogusława and Czesław Kowalski and Józef Chierowski’s armchairs 366. Armchair 366 was first presented at the 3rd National Trade Fair in Poznań in March 1959. It stood out for its simple design and modern ergonomics. It was small, light and comfortable, easy to manufacture. The armchair met users’ expectations, worked well in the interiors of small flats, and looked very good in the spaces of clubs, hotels, cafés, offices and libraries. It was manufactured at the Dolnośląska Fabryka Mebli (Lower Silesian Furniture Factory) in Świebodzice and copied in many carpentry workshops. By the mid-1960s, more than half a million units had been sold. The famous armchair is still the most recognisable piece of furniture from the communist era. In 2014, the 366 Concept office resumed ¬ based on the artist’s original design drawings – its production. Another version of the 366 chair was the later VAR chair, designed in early 1975, with the colloquial name Aga, which received extremely positive feedback from bridge players and regulars at the International Press and Book Clubs.
Józef Chierowski (1927-2007) graduated from the Faculty of Interior Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław (diploma in 1952). He studied under professors Władysław Winczy, Marian Sigmund and Marian Steczowicz. He designed furniture, public interiors and piano/grand piano casings for the Kalisz and Legnica musical instrument manufacturers; he was an academic lecturer at his alma mater for many years.
Jerzy Brukwicki (1945) – art critic, curator of exhibitions, journalist. Long-standing head of the “Pokaz” Critics’ Gallery in Warsaw. In the 1980s, author of several dozen independent exhibitions, including “Polska Pieta”, “Czas smutku, czas nadziei”, “Obecność”, “Przeciw złu, przeciw przemocy”, “Rocznice”, Solidarność posters; editor and publisher of the independent culture magazine Wybór, editor of the underground social weekly Przegląd Wiadomosci Agencyjnych (PWA), co-worker of the publishers NOWA, Przedświt, Pokolenie. He has organized many exhibitions of contemporary Polish art in Polish and foreign museums and galleries. Author of texts on art and artistic events (e.g. “Exit,” “LOT Kaleidoscope,” “Pokaz,” “Kunstmarkt,” “Polish Culture,” “Reklama,” “Rondo Europa,” “Spotkania z Warszawą,” “Warszawski Informator Kulturalny,” “culture.pl,” portalmini.eu.)
16.10.2024, 18.00
Gdańska 20
